


His Protector

by fullmetalscully



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medieval, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Exile, F/M, Parental Riza Hawkeye, Royai - Freeform, badass riza and badass alphonse for like 5 chapters straight
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-28
Updated: 2020-04-02
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:14:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 26,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23351500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fullmetalscully/pseuds/fullmetalscully
Summary: “You no longer hold the status as my First Knight.”That felt like a knife in her heart, but Riza had expected it. Harsh, but she knew the consequences of her actions and would accept them wholeheartedly, because it was for the King’s own safety.“You’re no longer a part of my court. Get the hell out.”Medieval Royalty AU based on a tumblr prompt from Pokypup49: "get the hell out"
Relationships: Riza Hawkeye/Roy Mustang
Comments: 44
Kudos: 116





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Pokypup49](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pokypup49/gifts).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is a fic that was supposed to be like ~maybe~ 2k words at most... and has spiralled into 20k words
> 
> whoops
> 
> hope you all enjoy! thank you pokypup49 for the prompt on tumblr <3
> 
> "get the hell out"

“You did this?”

His Highness’ voice was low. She’d gone against his wishes, but it was for his own good. He couldn’t see that now, maybe he never would, but it would mean he’d be safe. That was all that mattered right now to his First Knight.

“I did, Your Highness.” Her tone was unapologetic, and rightly so, she thought.

“I explicitly told you not to carry out this request.” His tone was dangerous now.

King Mustang was angry, and Knight Hawkeye could understand that. She knew he’d be offended that she went behind his back, knew he’d feel betrayed, but she still did it.

“I told you I could handle it.”

The Knight didn’t doubt it, but she wouldn’t let him walk to his death. She couldn’t.

Her King was stubborn but had always heeded her warnings. This time, he hadn’t, and it was concerning. Riza Hawkeye had done some digging and discovered just how dangerous this venture may become. She had a bad feeling in general about the whole operation, and her gut had never failed her before. Only this time, her King had dismissed her concerns. He was dead set on following through with it. It both baffled and irritated her, as the head of his security.

If he wouldn’t listen to her as she tried to protect him, she’d have to step in to make sure that happened. She was protecting him from himself.

“I understand that, Your Highness, however given the evidence, I made an executive decision to call the meeting off.”

“What evidence?” he exploded, standing from his throne. “There’s no evidence to indicate this situation would threaten my life.”

“Your Highness, I’ve had a _very_ bad feeling about this from day one,” Riza explained herself.

“I don’t work on bad feelings,” he interrupted.

Riza felt her irritation spike. “Yes, Your Highness, however, it’s saved my life, and _yours_ , more often than I can count –”

“You disobeyed my orders and went against my wishes based on a “gut feeling”.” His expression was hard, his eyes unforgiving. This wasn’t how she anticipated this conversation going. It was derailing very quickly, but she was just doing her job. “That’s something I cannot have, and _will not_ tolerate, in my court. Is that understood?”

“Of course, Your Highness.” She had to swallow past the lump in her throat to get the words out, but Riza managed.

“You no longer hold the status as my First Knight.”

That felt like a knife in her heart, but Riza had expected it. Harsh, but she knew the consequences of her actions and would accept them wholeheartedly, because it was for the King’s own safety.

“You’re no longer a part of my court. Get the hell out.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Riza bowed as was etiquette, then removed the seal from the front of her armour. It was King Mustang’s personal seal and showed the title she held as his First Knight. She’d been his closest advisor, his confidant, and his protector. He felt betrayed by her actions, Riza knew this. She could see it in his eyes. It had hurt like hell to go against him, but she was simply doing her job.

Riza approached and placed the seal on the table at the bottom of the dais leading up to his throne. She patted it once, unable to help herself as she bid farewell to her old friend. It hurt. This seal had been a part of her for years and just like that, it was gone. It was _him_ who’d taken it from her. It hurt like hell.

Turning, Riza left the throne room, her movements controlled. There was no argument because she knew he wouldn’t listen. It frustrated her completely. Irritated her, even. How could he be so blind and _stubborn_? He may have felt betrayed by her actions, but the feeling was mutual. She’d advised him for so long and suddenly, he brushed her aside? Dismissed her warning and concerns? That was a betrayal in itself.

However, she’d done her part to ensure his safety. Riza had done all she could – even went behind his back and against his wishes. There wasn’t much else she could do. The knight just hoped it was enough.

As she turned, her mask cracked, and she let out a shaky breath. It was silent, so he wouldn’t hear her, and her movements never faltered as she walked away from the man she loved. Tears crept up to her eyes and threatened to fall, but she held them at bay.

All her life she’d dedicated herself to King Roy Mustang and his family. They’d taken her in after her father passed away. Berthold had been Roy’s father’s advisor, and Riza had been accepted into the family with open arms. The last thing she’d wanted to do was betray him like this, but Riza felt she had no choice. She was doing the right thing, she believed. She’d prevented him from attending a meeting which _would_ threaten his life. Roy had told her he was going regardless of warnings from the rest of the court, because he was determined to make things right and to create a peace treaty with the neighbouring kingdom.

The letter she’d given him tonight had been forged – by a friend of hers – to explain the meeting had been called off. The “sender” – a mutual friend and messenger between the two kingdoms – advised the King not to travel because of safety concerns brought forth by the First Knight. It named her because it was the only way the King would believe it was true.

Riza exited the castle and walked across the courtyard. Her horse was waiting for her, held in place by the stable hand for her arrival. Expressing her thanks, she mounted the horse and set out through the castle town. The roads were quiet. It was almost midnight, so not many people would be milling about, but the streets were almost eerie as she rode away from the only life she’d ever known.

Her future now was completely uncertain. However, she did have one last thing to do as the King’s First Knight. She had a plan and it was time to set it in motion.

After exiting the town gates Riza entered the forest and rode to a clearing. It was well used by her throughout the years as it was off the beaten path and far enough from the road that no one could eavesdrop.

“Knight Hawkeye?” a voice called out, unsure.

Riza dismounted her horse and approached the sound. A young man exited the cover of the trees and stepped into the moonlight.

“It’s just Hawkeye from now on, Alphonse,” Riza stated gently.

“Ah. Right. So, it’s done?”

Riza nodded, ignoring the pain in her chest. The wind from the ride had dried her tears. There would be time for that once this was all over and the King’s safety was secured. Until then, she would need to be level-headed and focussed. Even though she was no longer his First Knight, she still had a duty to her King, and a personal vow to protect him at all costs, no matter what her status was.

“It’s done. Step one is complete.”

“… Now it’s time for step two,” Alphonse finished for her.

Taking a deep breath and letting it out, Riza nodded.

“Right.”

She would attend the meeting in the King’s stead and try to bring about peace to the regions.

The threat on King Mustang’s life was very real, so there was no way Riza would let him go ahead with it. However, peace was still important. Riza believed that. So, she would go first to beat him there, and if they threatened her life… Well, she was better dying than the King. The kingdom needed him. He was a good and just King. Everyone loved him and it was the most successful ruling the kingdom had had in centuries. Riza wouldn’t jeopardize that.

Plus, then the King would have his damn evidence if she ended up dead. Hopefully that would penetrate his thick skull.

“When do we leave?” Alphonse asked.

“I leave tonight. _You_ go home to your brother.”

His eyes flashed with indignation. “I’m not leaving you to do this alone,” he argued.

“Alphonse –” Riza _knew_ there would be an argument, but she was too drained to start it with him.

“No,” he shook his head. “I’ve come too far to drop it now. This plan was my suggestion, and it’s the reason you’ve lost your place in the King’s Court.” The reminder was harsh, and there was another stabbing pain in her heart. “The least I can do is see it through.”

“Al –”

“No, Riza.” His tone was firm and unyielding.

Riza looked into his eyes and saw a fire in them. His determination and loyalty to her may end up being the death of him and that’s why she was so hesitant to bring him along. However, there would be no stopping Alphonse, Riza knew that much.

“I have so many more magic abilities and I’ll be able to get you out of there if things get too dicey. I can _help_.”

“You’re a teenager –”

“Who has, on more than one occasion, proved my skill and my loyalty to you,” he reminded her. Then, his expression turned hurt. “You still don’t think I can do it?”

Riza stared at him for another moment, then gave in. She’d lost her fight.

“No,” she replied. She approached him and placed a hand on his shoulder, softening her knees so she was eye level with him. He’d sprouted a few inches over the past few months and was almost catching up with her. “I don’t doubt your loyalty or abilities,” she reassured him. “It’s never been about that.”

“Then _why_ won’t you let me help?” he pleaded.

“Because if anything was to happen to you, and you were hurt, or worse, you died, that’s something I wouldn’t be able to live with.” Her gaze was steady as she willed him to understand, her tone resolute. She gripped his shoulder tighter. “I would never forgive myself,” she whispered. “And I can’t bear the thought of it.”

They’d both worked closely over the last year. He was an advisor for the outskirts of the kingdom for her, and that was where he lived with his brother and his family. Alphonse was a bright and skilled mage, who’d learned the art from his father. He must have had a hell of a teacher, because at the age of nineteen, he was more skilled than most mages she’d been able to work with throughout her career.

It was also Alphonse who’d helped her come up with ideas to postpone the meeting, or avoid the King attending it completely, if they could. King Mustang was an immovable object though and would not heed her warnings. Alphonse lived near the neighbouring kingdom and had seen first-hand the affect the ruler had on their people. A kingdom where innocent traders and townspeople were left for dead on the road was not somewhere Riza wanted her King to go.

 _Too bad Roy is too stubborn to realise it_.

Alphonse gripped the wrist of the hand on his shoulder tightly, his determination returning. “I won’t allow that to happen. I can get us out of there if things go south. I’ve got so many healing and protection spells because my father was paranoid about me and my brother getting hurt by the soldiers from the neighbouring kingdom. I’m well prepared.” His eyes flashed with the same fire that hadn’t wavered over the last few months. “I can make this happen, Riza.”

“All right,” she relented. There was no pleased look in Alphonse’s eyes, just determination.

“Let’s get to work.”


	2. Chapter 2

The air didn’t feel right as they entered the castle. There were no guards and there were no courtiers milling around the courtyard like back home. The place looked abandoned and slightly run down. Their mutual friend – Mr. K – was supposed to be meeting them in the courtyard to escort them inside to the meeting but was yet to be seen.

Riza rested one hand on her sword and didn’t let go. She felt the air around her shift as Alphonse cast a protection spell over them both as they moved slowly and cautiously.

Something whizzed by her ear and Riza instinctively ducked. She gripped her sword and began to draw it, but never managed to get very far.

Riza gasped as a different arrow pierced her abdomen. The first had been a decoy.

Pain exploded everywhere and she wasn’t sure what way was up anymore. All she knew was pain and fire. It spread across her stomach, up her torso, and into her chest. It gripped her heart in a vice, crushing it hard.

 _Poison_.

It made its way down her legs, immobilizing them so they buckled and Riza began to fall.

“Damn, it wasn’t him!”

“That’s not the King,” a voice hissed.

This had been an ambush.

Riza had been right.

“Riza!” she heard Alphonse scream.

Arms caught her before she hit the ground and then all she knew was blinding white light. She was so paralysed by the pain and the fear gripping her entire body that she couldn’t even close her eyes against it. Her brain was still struggling to realise what had happened to her, so her mouth was parted in a silent scream.

An agonised yell left Riza when the light disappeared. Her feet hit the ground hard, but arms still caught her fall. She was lain on her back swiftly. Something was jerked from her stomach and Riza screamed in pain. It enveloped her entire torso, fire raging through every fibre of her being, worse than before. She couldn’t focus. She couldn’t _see_. It was all too much for her brain to comprehend.

“Riza?” Alphonse called to her worriedly. He sounded far away but she recognised the warmth of his magic. It had protected her throughout the course of this mission and would know it anywhere. It was a comfort and a reminder that she wasn’t alone in all of this. All her heartache and personal sacrifice _would_ be worth it at the end of it all, because not only was Alphonse safe, the King was too.

She’d been right all along. Her gut hadn’t steered her wrong. The King was being as stubborn and idiotic about this whole situation like she thought.

There was suddenly noise around her. It was… screaming? There was a loud murmur, but she couldn’t make out any of the words. There was a pounding underneath her feet. It was footsteps on the ground beneath her.

“Ri – Riza?”

She’d know that voice anywhere but was confused as to how he was here. Fear gripped her. He wasn’t supposed to be here. He was supposed to be at the castle, away from the ambush and _safe_.

Pain jerked her away from her worries. She let out a strangled cry and her eyes widened as her body heaved to try and breath. Everything hurt. The fire was raging in her blood, not letting up its assault. Her vision was greying as she looked up at a familiar ceiling.

_This is the throne room in the castle…_

Another jolt of pain jerked her body. She gritted her teeth but couldn’t a cry of pain from leaving her.

“What’s the meaning of this?” the King growled.

“She’s been poisoned,” Alphonse barked.

He didn’t know the King. They’d never met. Riza tried to speak, but nothing was coming out. Her brain’s only focus was breathing. There was no time for meaningless things such as talking.

“ _What_?”

“Poisoned,” Alphonse snapped. “I need the antidote. The hospital wing should have it. I need it, now!”

She’d only been able to make out parts of their conversation. Her head was swimming with the pain she was in, and she was being pulled under the wave of it. It was becoming stronger and stronger, and she could feel her grip on reality fading. The world was beginning to dull around her and Riza was sure this was it. This was what dying felt like.

At least she’d kept the King safe. That was her intention all along. She’d sacrificed her happiness and her career to keep him out of harm’s way, and it _had_ been worth it, because she’d been right. The threat had been very real and, just like she’d always vowed, she’d taken the blow for him. She didn’t enjoy or relish in pain, but it was a comfort to know her gut had been right, and all her self-doubt was washed away.

Her limbs relaxed slowly. It was so slow, Riza didn’t realise it had happened until her vision was almost completely dark. Her body was giving up fighting the invading toxin in her blood.

“Riza!” Hands were on her cheeks. She saw Alphonse’s face above her head. His eyes were wide and desperate as he called to her, _begging_ her to hold on. “Don’t die on me! You promised!”

“Al…”

“You _promised_ me, Riza,” he growled in a tone that was so unlike the bright and kind boy she’d been working with previously. He had his fierce moments, but this wasn’t fierce. This wasn’t protective. It was desperation. He was crying. She’d seen the glint of the tear on his cheek in the light streaming in from the windows behind the throne. It hit his pained face and made him seem so much younger than his nineteen years.

“Don’t die!”

“I was right…” she managed to choke out.

“Yes, you were, but I need you to hold you. You _have_ to see this through,” he begged. “You have to! Where’s the damn antidote?” he yelled to someone.

“It’s too late,” she whispered to him. Her body was trembling. Her breaths were short and sharp, unable to suck in enough oxygen into her lungs.

“No, it’s not! Someone, help us!” Alphonse cried desperately.

“Stay safe,” she slurred. “Keep… Keep him right.”

“No, because you’ll have to do it.” Alphonse appeared in her dulling vision once again. The vision of him was almost gone. “You _promised_ me you wouldn’t leave me. You still have work left to do, Riza,” he whispered brokenly.

“Take care… of them all.”

It was time to pass the torch onto someone else, and she could think of no person better to protect the King than Alphonse Elric. He was smart, he had a knack for strategy, and knew almost everything about this kingdom. He wouldn’t let his personal feeling get in the way of his job and would be able to protect the King. Riza felt more than comfortable passing the torch onto him.

Something pricked her stomach and drew her back from the threatening drifting. It overwhelmed her brain with awareness of the pain in her body. Her back arched involuntarily and she screamed out, before her body hit the floor with a loud _thump_ and she passed out.

“ _Riza!_ ”

* * *

“Riza was right. There was a plot against you.”

Her hearing returned first, but the conversations were jumbled inside her head as she tried to make sense of things. Her current state felt like she was still dreaming but based on the tone of the conversation and what was being discussed, this couldn’t be a dream.

“They shot her?”

“Poisoned arrow. It’s a poison only known to be used in that region. They were aiming for _you_ ,” Alphonse accused.

Who was this other person? Her mind was a muddle as she tried to waken up. A quiet groan left her as she stirred, the pain in her abdomen flaring up. It was nowhere near as bad as it had been before, but it was still present and incredibly sore.

“Your Highness?” a third voice announced, one Riza didn’t recognise.

Riza opened her eyes blearily. The room was a blur and spun slightly, but she recognised the other figure in the room. She saw a familiar expanse of back and sea of black hair. He walked away from her and out the door in a hurry, his stride purposeful. Riza blinked and saw the King’s clenched fists as he left the room. Her body sagged as her eyes fluttered closed once more, sleep claiming her.

Alphonse was right by her bedside the next time she managed to pry her eyelids open.

“Riza?” Alphonse sounded so hopeful as he called her name. “Are you awake?”

A pathetic grunt left her as she shifted in bed but gave up after more pain flared in her stomach.

“How are you feeling?”

“Sore,” she mumbled.

Alphonse helped her rise to sitting position and become comfortable. She hissed at every wrong move she made, and the young mage apologised every time, as if it was his own fault.

“What happened?” Riza asked tiredly as she lay back against her propped-up pillows. Her eyes fluttered closed, exhausted even from the process of shifting position. She noticed it was just the two of them in the room. The King was gone.

 _Had he even been here in the first place?_ she thought. Her memory was fuzzy, things jumbled up inside of her mind.

“We were ambushed.” Riza nodded. She remembered that part. “The poisoned arrow hit your stomach. It was intended for the King, and you were right. They _were_ planning to kill him.” Alphonse grew quiet and when he spoke next, his tone was sour. “You effectively took the hit for him.”

That was her job. Alphonse just didn’t understand that. His impression of the King wasn’t great, and Riza understood and recognised that. She wouldn’t try to change his mind. That was up to Alphonse to decide for himself.

In the politics of court, things needed to be done, and Riza wouldn’t accept her King and her charge walking to his death. Betraying his trust was the only way to keep him safe, and Riza recognised that. If that meant he treated her poorly, then that was the King’s choice in the heat of the moment. He’d been deadest on this meeting and fully intended to go. If he had, he’d probably be dead by now. Riza would not and _could_ not blindly obey if she knew her charge was going to be hurt. She’d been cruel to be kind. Plus, how would she even live with herself if she was the reason the man she loved died? There was no logic in that. She had to do something.

Riza Hawkeye didn’t enjoy pain. She hadn’t set out on this mission to take an arrow to her stomach. However, she’d had an inkling all along that something like this would happen, and she’d been correct. What had happened was always going to happen, it just wouldn’t have been Riza that was in the firing line.

It was a miracle she _was_ alive. How had the young mage managed it?

“How am I here?” She was too exhausted to think of better phrasing.

“I got us out of there.” His voice was subdued and Riza opened her eyes to look at him. Alphonse’s head was bowed slightly, and he looked ashamed. “I… I teleported us to the throne room. It was the safest place I’d pictured in my head in the heat of the moment.” He cringed. “I didn’t know court would be in session though. There was lots of screaming.”

Riza’s heart sank. So, she hadn’t been imagining things. The King _had_ been there and witnessed her arrival.

_And yet, he wasn’t here._

Maybe Riza had misread their relationship all along. Perhaps that was why he’d kicked her out of his court without hesitation. Either way, he was still alive…

_Shut up, brain._

“I wasn’t quick enough though,” Alphonse sniffed as his shoulders hunched and began to shake. “I didn’t stop you from getting hurt.”

“That’s not your fault. You had no way of knowing.”

“But _you_ knew,” he stressed. His eyes were wide and pleading with her to forgive him for his oversight. “You _knew_ something was wrong with this meeting from the start. You even went against _the King_ and stopped him from attending because you knew something wasn’t right –”

“You’re just young, Alphonse,” she reminded him softly. “You have years ahead of you. Learn from this and apply it in the future.”

“You almost died, Riza!” he exclaimed. “I – I can’t just take this as a lesson. The guilt while waiting for you to wake up was eating me alive!”

“Alphonse, it’s okay,” she tried to soothe him, but he was too upset. He was showing his years right now, and Riza sometimes forgot he was in his late teens. Right now, it hit her like a horse and cart. The young man had watched his friend almost die in front of him. That would traumatise any teenager.

“It’s not okay,” he shook his head.

Alphonse took a shuddering breath and let it all go. His frame wobbled and Riza reached painfully for his hand, stretching the skin of her side. It was worth it though to comfort the young mage. Riza gripped it tightly and met his gaze steadily.

“This was _not_ your fault. My actions were my own, and it was my choice to step into that kingdom that day. This is the nature of battle and sacrifice, Alphonse. Sometimes, it doesn’t always work out, but I did my job. I protected my kingdom and my King like I vowed I would _years_ ago. I would’ve died knowing that I’d protected them all.”

“That’s –” He was unsure how to follow that.

“What, Al?”

He shook his head. “I hate that you blindly follow something like that. You could do so much more, but you keep tying yourself to the King and the kingdom. Why?”

She smiled softly at him. “The King’s mother and father took me in when I was orphaned. It was a favour to an old friend. I owe this family _a lot_ –”

“But you _shouldn’t_ ,” he argued. “Not like that. Not with your life.”

Her expression turned sympathetic. She gave his hand a squeeze. He was right, but she’d made her choice years ago and sworn her life to protect the King.

“I _want_ to help people, Al. I always have. Even after my title was stripped from me, I still wanted to protect my King. Not because I felt a duty to do it, although that is still in there somewhere. It’s a hard habit to break. No, it’s because I _wanted_ to. I care about him. I was brought up with him. I know you’d do the same for your brother, or any other member of your family. How could I sit by and let it happen, and at least not _try_ to put a stop to things?”

Alphonse struggled with this for a moment, but he was a smart boy. His shoulders slumped in defeat and he nodded in understanding.

“Okay.” He relented and sat in the chair by her bedside. “Promise me one thing?”

“I’ll try, Al.”

“Don’t try to leave me like that again.” His voice shook in fear.

“You know I can’t promise that –”

“Promise,” he stated forcefully. “Don’t leave me like –” He choked on his words, unable to finish. When he did, his voice was just a whisper. “Don’t leave me like my mother did.”

Understanding dawned on Riza, and while she was touched, she knew with the nature of her job she couldn’t promise she wouldn’t die.

She gripped his hand tightly again. “You _know_ I can’t promise I won’t die in a fight. If it’s my time to go, it’s my time to go.” His face turned stricken. “However,” Riza stressed. “I will do _everything_ in my power to stay with you and protect you from harm. You’re my partner now,” she smiled. “If you’ll have me?”

“Partner?” he echoed, surprised.

“I’m no longer the King’s First Knight and I need somewhere to go. What do you say?”

His eyes lit up with understanding and he nodded vigorously. “Yes, please.”

Movement from the door caught her eye and Riza saw a dark head pass by the window.

Her stomach clenched, which made her wince in pain. Had… Had the King been listening in? She felt indignation and anger rise at the thought, but after a moment, let it go. This part of her life was behind her now. He didn’t care enough to come and talk to her. Or, he was no longer interested in having anything to do with her. That was fine, Riza told herself. She could move on and start a new life if she knew there were no ties back here at the castle.

It would hurt like hell and would be the hardest thing she’d ever done, but if there was no future for her here in the castle –

 _This is your home for more reason than one_.

Riza shook that thought from her mind. Roy – the King had made his feelings very clear towards her. He no longer wished to see her after her supposed betrayal.

Riza didn’t regret it. Well, not experiencing the pain in her abdomen and the poisoning would have been nice, but she’d kept the man she loved breathing for another day. That was all that mattered to her.


	3. Chapter 3

Riza slipped out the castle walls undetected. Being the First Knight had its perks because now she knew all the hidden passageways in and out of the kingdom. Alphonse’s expression was one of distaste when she met him in their clearing. He wasn’t pleased she’d left the hospital when she hadn’t fully healed yet.

But she had work to do.

“I know, Al,” Riza told him as soon as she saw the look on his face.

“I didn’t say anything,” he frowned.

“I can see the displeasure on your face.”

He huffed. “You’re just lucky the hospital had more than enough antidote stocked.”

Riza shrugged as she checked over her horse. “I liked to be cautious and prepared for anything.”

Alphonse paused after he mounted his horse. “You acquired the antidote?”

Riza nodded. “A few years ago, from our wonderful friend, Mr. K.”

She tightened the bag of her satchel tighter than was necessary. She needed to have a word with that bastard, and that was where they were both bound for right now. Alphonse cast a healing spell on her wound to make riding easier, but it would still hurt like hell. This wasn’t over yet, and Riza wanted to get to the bottom of this ambush to see if there was still a threat upon her kingdom. Old habits die hard, but she wouldn’t leave a job unfinished. They had a job to finish, and it wouldn’t complete itself with her stuck in a hospital bed.

“We’re going to see him now?”

Riza winced once settled in the saddle. She felt a shift in the air around her and smiled at Alphonse, silently thanking him as well as appreciating the spell to make the journey easier for her.

Nodding, she nudged her horse to a walk, testing the strain it would put on her wound. It was all right now, but would it last? There was only one way to find out.

“I have a few questions to ask Mr. K about what happened the other day.”

It took them two days to ride north to the inn where they’d been meeting with their friend Mr. K before the ambush happened. Sure enough, he was still there, however this time, he was drowning himself in a pitcher of ale.

Riza grabbed him by the back of his grubby shirt and forced him through to the back of the inn, much to his surprise. Ale sloshed from his glass as he complained loudly. Luckily, he hadn’t managed to knock it over as Riza dragged him away from the bar.

“Everybody out,” she barked, looking around the back room as Mr. K squabbled drunkenly in her grip while he feebly tried to escape. She felt bad using such a harsh tone as it frightened the inn owner’s family out the room, but it had the desired effect. She’d have a word with the woman afterwards and compensate her handsomely.

“Did you know about the ambush against the King?” she asked, thrusting her supposed friend forward into the room. He stumbled and fell to his knees, catching himself hard on the stone floor with his hands.

“Haw – Hawkeye?” he cried out fearfully. “You really aren’t dead?”

“Surprise,” she deadpanned.

Riza grabbed the front of his shirt to jerk him towards her, but immediately regretted it. Her nose wrinkled in disgust at the smell emitting from every pore of the man. He was in desperate need of a shower. His hair was greasy and hung limp against his head. Before, he’d been respectable at least. Now, he was just washed up drunk. Either his conscious had been weighing heavily on him with his decision to let her walk to her death, or he’d scrubbed up very well before.

“Did you know?” she asked again, more forcefully.

His gaze shifted between hers and Alphonse’s, but he never answered, only continued to stutter.

“It’s a simple question, Mr. K. Simple questions have simple answers to them. Yes or no?”

“They paid me to keep quiet,” he blurted out, lifting his hands in front of him. “My wife was extremely sick, and I needed the money and resources they offered to save her.”

“So, you’ll save your wife, but you’ll let an unsuspecting woman and a teenage boy walk to their deaths? How admirable of you.”

Mr. K paled. “I’m sorry, Hawkeye. I – I –” Tears filled his eyes. “I didn’t know what to do,” he admitted. “And they threatened to kill my family.”

She could believe that, but one thing was bothering her.

“If you care so much about them, why are you sitting here in this inn, drinking your life away?”

A look of terror crossed over Mr. K’s face and realisation dawned on her.

“Riza,” Alphonse called out to stop her from further questioning, he too realising why Mr. K’s appearance had taken a turn for the worst so suddenly.

Silence descended over the room and a lead weight formed inside Riza’s stomach.

“They killed your family, didn’t they?” she asked. The grip on his shirt loosened.

Mr. K nodded, then let out a sob. He lifted a hand to his mouth and pressed it hard, his eyes narrowing as his tears flowed freely.

Riza’s knees shook after she stood, letting Mr. K go completely, and she backed away from him, falling into a chair as the backs of her knees hit it. Her hands gripped the arms tightly, the whites of her knuckles showing.

“Riza?” Alphonse called worriedly, approaching in a hurry.

“They killed your family,” Riza repeated, thinking aloud to herself. “Because I lived.” Her head lifted and she met Mr. K’s agonised eyes. “Didn’t they?”

He was sobbing quietly and uncontrollably. Riza swallowed past the lump in her throat. The pressure there was almost unbearable, but she managed to reign it in.

Mr. K finally nodded.

Riza sat back in defeat.

A man’s wife and his son had been murdered because she’d lived. Those poor innocent people…

“I’m…” She was lost for words. “I’m so sorry,” she apologised, meeting Mr. K’s eyes with her own. They were turning wet, his sobbing form blurring before her. Riza blinked hard and looked away, her guilt at surviving threatening to overwhelm her. “I… I had no idea –”

“Yeah. Promise me you’ll give them hell,” Mr. K whispered as he wiped at his wet face with back of his hand.

Alphonse stepped forward and offered him a tissue, which he accepted with a sad smile.

“For my wife and my –” He inhaled sharply, a sob stopped his thought in its tracks. “And for my son. Make them pay for what they did.”

Riza eased out of her chair and knelt in front of him. She gripped his hand in hers and brought it above her heart. It was an old custom Knights used to make vows to people. It wasn’t general practice nowadays, but her father had taught her the Old Ways before he died. This was a gesture of utmost importance when making a vow. The position of the person’s hand over the Knight’s heart meant more than the spoken word vow.

“I swear on my life I will put an end to this,” Riza whispered. “I won’t let them terrorize anyone else. You have my word.”

“Th – Thanks,” he whispered.

Riza helped him to his feet and smoothed out his clothes from where she’d roughed him up a little. Grasping his elbow, Riza guided him out of the room once he’d composed himself enough, and the trio entered the main room of the inn.

“Hey!” the owner yelled from across the bar. “Just what do you think you’re –”

Riza glanced up after settling Mr. K back into his bar stool. The woman faltered upon recognising her and stopped her rant.

“Oh, Knight Hawkeye!” the inn owner fussed, face turning red after thinking she’d been shouting at the King’s personal bodyguard. “Sorry, I didn’t see you there.”

“I’m so sorry for the intrusion, ma’am,” she apologised profusely. “I shouldn’t have barged in the way I should have.”

“No, no, it’s all right.”

“No, it’s not. I didn’t have that right. I’m sorry.” Riza dug a coin purse out of her belt and mentally calculated the amount. She’d have enough to buy her and Alphonse a few days’ worth of food, but once that was gone, they would be left with nothing. She had no job and no income now, so she needed to be careful.

“Please take this with my sincere apologies.” She offered the owner the coin purse, but she quickly backed up and refused.

“No, no, I couldn’t –”

“I insist.” Riza placed it on the top of the bar. “And… I’m very sorry, but I’m in the middle of a job and don’t have the gold on me right now to assist my friend here,” she gestured towards Mr. K. He turned in place and stared at her in confusion. “Please, see to his every need and put his tab on me.” Mr. K’s mouth fell open in shock. “I’ll be back to pay his tab once I’ve finished my job for the King.”

“Y – Yes, ma’am. I will,” the owner stuttered.

“Wait –” Mr. K began to protest.

“Good day, friends,” Riza smiled at them both, forcing her lips upwards kindly. “I apologise for my actions once more, but I will see you both soon. I only wish I could stay longer, but duty calls.”

She waved at them both upon exiting, but her smile dropped once out of sight, and her guilt washed over her like an uncomfortable heat. It threatened to choke the air from her lungs. Once out of sight of the door, Riza bent over at the waist, resting her hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath, her torso heaving.

“Riza?” Alphonse asked, hurrying over. He caught her by her bicep and placed a hand upon her back to steady her. She lifted her upper body, latching onto the hand on her arm.

“They’re dead because of me,” she whispered. Her tears made another appearance and threatened to fall. “His family is dead because _I_ survived.”

“Riza, I need you to calm down,” Alphonse soothed.

She couldn’t. Not after that revelation, and not after how she’d treated him. She didn’t even _think_ that had been a possibility. She’d let her blindness for the crown shine through and hadn’t picked up on _why_ a previously respectable man had suddenly taken a turn for the worst.

Alphonse was right. She _did_ blindly follow the crown. She was blinded by her feelings for him.

 _It’s over, Riza. Get a grip of yourself_.

“Hawkeye!”

She stiffened, her spine straightening immediately.

“I…” Mr. K approached cautiously. “I just wanted to say thank you.”

Riza turned to face him, swallowing hard and unsure what to expect.

Mr. K stood sincere in front of her, hands clenched into fists. “I don’t blame you for what happened. That is on _them_ ,” he stated. “I know you’ll do right by the King and the people of this kingdom.” He shifted his weight from foot to foot. “It’s not much – I cut ties immediately after the attack – but I know their last known location. It’s likely they would’ve retreated there.”

* * *

Riza breathed evenly to fight off the wave of pain in her abdomen. It was flaring up and she felt Alphonse already casting another spell subtly to ease her pain.

He shouldn’t have to though. He should be more focussed on his surroundings that worrying about her. She can handle this. The poison was finally out of her system after a week.

Yesterday… had been difficult. She’d been bed bound in a thin tent, unable to move as she rode out the waves of pain as the last of it left her. Alphonse had drawn it out using magic and it had been one of the worst things Riza had ever experienced. She tried to keep it together, but often she couldn’t. It felt like he was drawing the blood straight out of her body. Her nerves were on fire as the poison attacked them on its way out, clawing to stay inside of her bloodstream.

Most of all, she felt sorry for Alphonse. He’d had to put her through that and sounded so guilty after he hurriedly announced he’d finished. He lifted his hands in a panic, showing he was done and was no longer hurting her. He was only young and shouldn’t have gone through that. However, that was the nature of their lifestyle now, and there was no other option.

Riza would be eternally thankful to him for all he’d done during this uncertain time. He’d stuck by her without question and supported her, but also questioned her reasonings, mostly to try and learn.

Endearingly, he’d mistakenly called her “mum” without noticing. He’d blushed furiously in his embarrassment and turned away as Riza chuckled to herself, returning to gathering edible plants for their dinner that night. He didn’t look at her all night, but that was okay. Riza gave him the time he needed. She was honoured he thought so highly of her, but was also saddened, because it was a reminder his mother was no longer with them.

Alphonse had lived with his brother previously, before working with Riza. In the house, there were Alphonse, Edward, his brother, and Winry, Edward’s wife. Alphonse had told her all about his adorable niece and nephew too. There had been many stories from him during their long evenings camping. Riza was grateful for it. It was a break from the pressure to resolve this situation they’d found themselves in the middle of. It was also a reminder that although he may have had a tough upbringing after losing his mother and father, Alphonse still had a happy home waiting for him. That was what Riza wanted for him.

Riza silently threw out her arm to halt Alphonse. He was alert by her side and Riza felt the air around them push outwards. He was searching for any enemies in the vicinity. Until Alphonse give the all clear, they wouldn’t move. That poison was no laughing matter and Riza did _not_ want to have to deal with that a second time.

“Upper balcony, on the right,” Alphonse whispered. Riza flicked her eyes over in that direction and saw an archer waiting with his bow in his hands. “That’s it.”

“Just the one?” Riza thought aloud.

“That’s all I can feel,” Alphonse replied. “They might have a shield spell up, but if they do, I can’t feel the magic energy from it. We might be too far away though.”

Riza nodded. “Let’s move to the left and move up.”

The compound they were approaching was grey and boring. Concrete walls stared blankly back at them. There was no glass in the windows and air flowed through the seemingly abandoned building. Alphonse picked out no mages, but did detect three more archers towards the entrance, and then five lifeforms inside the building itself.

“This spell with shield us completely,” the young mage explained as Riza felt it coat her body and cling to her skin. “Our movements are muffled, and we can move completely undetected.”

“Why didn’t you tell me about this before?” she joked. The corner of his lips quirked upwards but fell quickly when she noticed the strained look on his face. “What is it?”

“It takes a lot of concentration on my part to keep it up. That’s why I wanted to save it. I didn’t want to end up spent too quickly.”

“Okay. _Only_ use this until we’re inside, all right?” Riza stressed. “I need you at your best.”

Alphonse nodded. “Right. Sorry I can’t do more.”

“Al,” Riza scoffed. “I’d be dead without you, right now. You’ve helped _more_ than enough.”

His expression turned sheepish, but he nodded.

“Ready when you are,” Alphonse replied.

“Let’s move.”

They made it inside undetected. There was no one around to spot them anyway. They crept closer in on the apparent meeting that was happening, and Riza signalled to Alphonse to turn the muting spell off. She’d caught a glimpse of the sweat on his brow as they’d passed through some sunlight.

“… kill the King?”

“We already _tried_ that,” an exasperated voice stated. “But he wasn’t there. That damned Knight showed up instead.”

“Is she dead?”

“No. Somehow, she managed to survive.”

“Damn.”

Riza gripped the top of her sword tighter.

“And there’s been no retaliation?”

The man Riza could see through the doorway shook his head. “None. From all the rumours I heard about Mustang and his precious First Knight I expected more, but apparently it was just hearsay.”

“That works for us,” one shrugged. He had his back to Riza and was unable to see any defining features about him. “We just need to try a different approach.”

“What about Knox?”

“Desolate. Family is all dead. Doesn’t have much more to live for from what I gather –”

The man was cut off suddenly. Riza tensed in surprise, but ready to react to any incoming attack. He lifted his hands to his throat, choking, while his face turned purple. Riza glanced around the room and saw no one making a move to hurt him. They were all shouting, asking what was going on. Riza turned on her heel and saw Alphonse with his hand outstretched, fingers turned upwards like a claw.

“Alphonse,” Riza hissed. She jerked his hand down and the man collapsed to the floor, heaving for breath.

“They hurt innocent people,” he stated, voice as hard as the concrete walls surrounding them. “We have to deal with that.”

“ _Not_ like this,” she hissed.

“What, are you just going to go in there and talk to him?” he retorted.

“Keep quiet and stay out of sight,” she glared, surging to her feet. She entered the room, sword drawn.

“You –!” the man whose face she’d seen before cried out, pointing his finger in fear at her.

“You’ve done unspeakable things to a friend of mine,” Riza interrupted him, circling slowly around the room as the other men rose to their feet. “You tried to kill me and made a threat against my charge.”

“It doesn’t sound like you were worth much to him in the end though,” one sneered.

Riza shook her head. “That doesn’t matter to me anymore.”

It did. It mattered _big time_ , but they didn’t need to know that. First, she’d get this situation handled and dealt with, and take it from there. She was always good at that. If things went well and she was able to subdue and make them surrender, she’d need to return to the King because he would need to decide what to do with them.

“Some “great friend” the King turned out to be for you,” another interjected from her left. Riza pivoted in place, keeping them both in her line of sight.

“Leaving you all alone like that? Casting you out after you were just trying to protect him?” A third entered the room behind her. Riza backed up so she could see them all. The one Alphonse had tried to choke rose to his feet. Now, all sets of eyes were on her, and they were all advancing.

This wasn’t good.

And where had Alphonse gone? She’d told him to stay put and out of sight, but only because he was being irrational. He wasn’t one to let her be thrown to the wolves like this.

And that behaviour, lashing out like that… That wasn’t Alphonse…

_Where was he?_

Riza flicked her eyes to the doorway, but instead of Alphonse, a man entered. He was dressed similarly to the others – long robes of varying bright colours – and his facial hair was a feat. His beard was long and fell to his waist, curling at the end because of the length.

“Al?” she called. She couldn’t help herself. Something wasn’t right. Riza had felt a shift in the air. The magic that felt like a third presence when she was with Alphonse had disappeared, and she felt bear without it.

“He’s not there,” the newcomer smirked.

“What do you mean?” Riza barked. She gripped her sword even tighter, levelling it in place.

“He has been taken care of. Now, the same will be done to you.”

Riza gripped her sword tighter. The centre of the room was bathed in light from their spells. However, the rest of the room was in darkness. Hoping to use that to their advantage, a fifth enemy launched themselves at Riza from behind. However, she hadn’t been the King’s First Knight for nothing. She spun parried his blow expertly and grabbed his arm, pinning it behind his back. Riza lifted her sword to his throat and twirled back around the face the other men.

“Where’s my friend?” she hissed. This was an unprecedented move to the other men. They stood frozen, poised to strike, but non-moving. One frowned and relaxed while the man underneath Riza’s sword squirmed.

“Keep wriggling like that,” she hissed in his ear. “And this sword will accidentally cut your throat,” she warned.

“That isn’t really becoming behaviour of King Mustang’s First Knight, now is it?” one jeered.

“Former First Knight,” she corrected. “Your lot saw to that.”

She jerked the man against her body hard, steadying her sword. He whimpered against her. Under all the bravado and smarmy comments, they were all just terrified. They were small men who were powerful when all together, but individually and under threat, they were squealing pigs, desperate not to go to the slaughter. Riza was willing to bet they would sell their own comrades in their place so they could save their own skin.

“Easy.” The man was talking to her like she was caged lion, ready to rip her teeth into this man’s neck. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe there was some shred of loyalty and camaraderie with these men. “Let him go.”

“Give me my friend, then I will,” Riza fired back.

She told herself, had told Alphonse too, that if anything happened to him, she’d never be able to forgive herself. Now his wellbeing and location was unknown.

_What had she done?_

He couldn’t be far. A few minutes had passed since she entered the room. Unless he teleported away… Unless he’d been put under such a threat that he needed a quick escape. Riza had told him to do that the first mission they’d ever been on together. She’d drilled it into him and maybe, just this once, Alphonse had heeded her advice when it came to saving his own skin over hers. He didn’t need to die for a failure like her.

If he’d teleported away, then he was safe. If they’d threatened him and he’d used it as his only means of escape, that was all right. He was away from this standoff and that was all that mattered.

“He’s gone.” The man to her left, who’d entered through the door Riza had, revealed, his tone slightly bitter. “He fled as soon as I approached.” Then, a glint returned to his eyes. He probably planned to use that to his advantage.

Riza felt her shoulders relax slightly, peeling away from her ears. Good. He’d escaped.

“So, not only has your King cast you out, but your friend has abandoned you too?” The men chuckled.

 _Bingo_.

“Really?” Riza asked, raising an eyebrow. “You’re taking that approach?”

The speaker faltered. He frowned.

“Nevertheless, you’re all alone. There’s five of us, plus our men, and only one of you. Surrender now, and we’ll let you live.”

Riza scoffed. The man in her arms stiffened.

“I’m not surrendering anything,” she replied. “You’re all scared little men. What can you possibly do against the likes of me?”

_… There!_

Alphonse crept forward in the darkness, lifting his hands in front of him.

_Just need to keep them talking so he can get ready._

“One woman isn’t good enough to go up against the likes of us,” one sneered. “Even if you _were_ the King’s First Knight.”

“I think I am,” she smirked.

She wasn’t arrogant. Riza hated arrogance and would never flaunt her abilities and think herself above another human being. However, this was spurring them on and keeping them talking. They were arguing with her, and that gave Alphonse the time he needed to spring his trap on them.

Al nodded in her direction – Riza caught it out the corner of her eye – and backed up in the darkness. Trap one was set. He had two more to make. Riza just had to keep them busy.

“We’ll see about that!”

The man who lunged at her was seething. Apparently, he didn’t take well to someone thinking they were better than him. Too bad.

Riza shoved her captive at him. He stumbled, hitting his comrade with enough force that they both toppled onto the floor. The man was outraged, scrambling to shove the man off his body, shouting at the rest of them to get her.

Jumping back, Riza avoided a sword was thrust towards her. She skipped to the right to miss another strike from another one of the men. Their movements were angry and uncontrolled. They were lashing out at her, desperate to shut her up and stop her. That was fine, Riza could deal with that.

Her only downfall was the dimming light in the room as they pressed her farther back into the shadows.

Berthold Hawkeye was a strict trainer. He was brutal and some of those training sessions scarred her as a teenager, however, Riza couldn’t argue that they _had_ helped her. One session she’d been blindfolded during a fight in training. It had been terrifying, and she’d sustained many blows. He’d left her alone in pitch black rooms, leaving her with no light at all to find her way around there for days on end. She’d had to listen to audio cues and become comfortable with the darkness. It had been awful, but in a moment like this, it helped. She listened to the enemy’s footwork and their breathing, manoeuvring her way around the room on the defensive.

Another blow came from behind, completely unexpected. A sixth person entered the room, striking her lower back hard with something blunt. It left her gasping, the pain unimaginable and she stumbled forward onto her knees. She couldn’t move. It felt like she couldn’t _breathe_.

A shadow was cast over the thin strip of light in front of her and Riza rolled to the right, towards the wall and a window which was also lacking glass. It was a long way down to the ground, but it would get her into the daylight and out of this pitch black with six enemies.

Adrenaline fuelled her as she rolled her back over the ledge, gripping the edge of the window frame. There were shouts from inside, each clamouring over one another as they tried to stop her. Riza took a deep breath, clenched her teeth, and let go.

The impact on the ground was softened as she rolled to combat it, however once her back hit the concrete it exploded in agony once more. Her eyes popped open and she clumsily rolled onto her knees, one hand making a fist and resting against the gravel. The tiny stones bit into her skin but it was nothing compared to the pain in her lower back. Riza wasn’t sure if she’d be able to stand.

Hands gripped her hard and wrenched her off the floor. Riza gasped – both at the sudden movement for her poor, battered spine, and the panic that the enemy had followed her – but she recognised Alphonse beside her.

“ _Why_ did you jump out of that window?” he hissed urgently, thoroughly unamused.

“Why did you try to choke out that man?” she countered.

She hadn’t forgot about that and wasn’t impressed. That wasn’t how they were going to do things, and it had surprised her a great deal. It wasn’t his usual behaviour.

Alphonse clenched his jaw in response but didn’t reply as he dragged Riza into the forest around the compound. Riza stumbled and fell once under the cover of the trees, her lower back cramping up and stopping her legs from moving.

“Do it,” she panted. “Activate the trap.”

Alphonse didn’t argue. He nodded and slammed his hands on the ground, eyes closed in concentration. Light blue light crackled in the ground, surging back into the compound. Two sparks followed separate invisible lines and disappeared underneath the undergrowth in the forest. The next thing Riza heard were shouts of surprise as the enemies were trapped by Alphonse’s magic.

Silence ensued and Al didn’t move. He remained in place while his face contorted in concentration.

“Did it work?” Riza whispered, not wanting to startle him out of his focus.

The young mage was silent for a moment longer. Alphonse let out a long breath, and he smiled tightly at her, but was still relieved.

“It worked.”


	4. Chapter 4

“Al?” a voice called in the distance.

Beside her, Alphonse relaxed. “It’s just Edward.” Riza could hear the grin in his voice.

When they broke through the trees, Riza took in the sight of the young man before her. His long hair was tied back in a braid, his fringe being tugged across his eyes in the gentle breeze. He looked slightly nervous, shifting his weight from foot to foot, no doubt anxious to see his brother was all right.

“Edward?” Riza asked, confused. What was he doing here?

“Hey, Ed!” Alphonse called happily, disregarding the fact that the enemy may still be nearby.

Edward’s mouth parted in shock, then he strode purposefully towards them both.

“What happened?” Edward demanded. The young man didn’t even know Riza, but he still looped his arm around her shoulders and helped she and Al walk further to safety. Riza was touched by his concern.

“Nothing for you to worry about,” Riza interjected before Alphonse could reply. “Right, Al?” she added forcefully.

“He already knows, Riza.”

“Why?” she demanded. She didn’t need to drag another poor soul into her quest.

“Relax,” Al reassured her. “We need him, and Edward was more than happy to offer his assistance.”

“Al,” she warned. That wasn’t the point.

Riza gasped in pain, a sudden bout of it shooting up through her spine and down her legs. She lost her footing and stumbled forward, squeezing her eyes closed tightly.

“Easy,” Edward soothed. As they lowered her to the ground, she didn’t miss the worried look the two of them shared. “It’s all right. I don’t mind.”

Riza sighed. She lowered herself onto her stomach on the grass. She couldn’t even sit down. It put too much pressure on her lower back. She would fucking kill the man who struck her there.

“We need the manpower to teleport all of them back,” Alphonse explained. “I can’t do it by myself.”

“Teleport?”

“We can’t ride back with this many people. Plus, now, you’re in no condition to travel.”

Riza felt like pinching the bridge of her nose. He was right, but she hadn’t wanted to get anyone else involved. Hell, she hadn’t even wanted to get Al involved in the first place. Now they had his brother too. It was another added stress onto her because if anything bad happened, Edward had a wife and two children at home waiting for him. It was another piece to add her already mounting pile of worries.

“We do it now, then,” Riza replied. Alphonse opened his mouth to argue. “The sooner its done, the sooner they are out of our hair. Transport me to the courtyard and we’ll be announced to the King there.”

“You need a healer though,” Alphonse argued, undeterred. “Winry is really good with long lasting healing spells. We can take you there and deal with the prisoners ourselves.”

“The courtyard,” she replied, tone firm. “I need to present the prisoners, Al. They won’t let you in because they don’t know you. For all they know, you could be launching an attack.”

“You _need_ a healer.”

“Courtyard,” she ground out. “I want this over with.”

“Riza,” Alphonse cried in frustration.

Edward cast his gaze between them both as they argued, looking uncomfortable at being caught in the middle.

“You can barely stand!” Al continued. “How are you going to do that?”

“I will manage,” she replied, trying to keep her tone even. She’d managed to press herself up onto her elbows to speak more comfortably with him.

“No, you won’t,” Alphonse argued. “Do something for _yourself_ for once and let your body rest.”

“I need to finish this –”

“I won’t let you.” Alphonse challenged her. His fists clenched by his sides as his anger finally shined through. “You owe the King _nothing_ after what he did to you. Winry can take care of you while we transport the prisoners.”

“This isn’t about that, Al, and you’re treading on dangerous ground here,” Riza warned.

“Why? Because I care? Because I don’t want to see you hurt anymore? He exiled you, Riza. Why do you so desperately want to go back to him?” His cry carried across the quiet grassland.

Riza narrowed her eyes at him. “You know nothing, Alphonse.”

“Al,” Edward warned, leaning forward to try and stop his brother.

“No, I don’t. So why don’t you enlighten me?”

Riza drew her shoulders back as her torso peeled up from the ground, coming to a rest in a much taller position on her elbows. She eyed her partner, noticing how his expression faltered as her cold eyes settled on his.

“I want this to be over, Alphonse. I want to be _done_ with this whole charade. Then, I won’t be putting the lives of _innocent teenagers_ in danger for my own personal quest. This has _nothing_ to do with the King, and you know it. This has progressed so far beyond that now. The only reason I’m going back there is because the _only_ person who can put them on trial legally is the King.”

Riza lifted her chin, the words pouring out of her mouth, unable to stop. The dam was broken, letting loose everything.

“Then, this job is over, and not left to someone else to pick up the pieces and get hurt. Then,” she added, fixing him with her stare as his posture finally relaxed and his anger and frustration disappeared. His arms hung limp by his sides. “I can disappear and stop hurting and disappointing all the people I care about, seeing as that’s all I’m good for.”

Alphonse had no reply for her. Edward looked even more uncomfortable now and kept his eyes on the ground.

Riza managed to lift herself off the ground, gripping on tightly to the tree next to her. Her nails dug into the bark, threatening to crack underneath the pressure. Alphonse didn’t verbally protest. However, he did step forward, but paused, his arms outstretched as if wanting to help, but he was keeping himself back.

“The sooner this is over, the sooner I’m out of your hair,” Riza finished.

“Riza –”

To his credit, Alphonse sounded extremely guilty, but she’d had enough of that argument for now. She limped back to the compound, one hand pressed against her lower back in an attempt to stifle the pain, but more than ready to initiate the transport of their prisoners. Movement was agony, but Riza pushed through. She’d been through worse and she meant it when she said the sooner this was over, the sooner she’d be away from everyone she cared about, unable to hurt them or put them in danger anymore.

Now she’d calmed down, Riza hated she’d had that outburst with Edward there. She didn’t know him, and that wasn’t her style. However, Alphonse’s pressing had drawn it out of her. In a way, he was an expert at drawing out the truth from her. He should go into court. He’d be able to tell the liars straight away and would probably be able to push them to get them to admit to their fraud no problem. He was the dream advisor.

“Riza, wait –”

The sorrow in Alphonse’s voice almost broke her heart, but he’d started this. She was in too much pain to fight with him anymore.

“Get the prisoners ready for transport,” she ground out, her body limping as she walked.

Alphonse was silent, then walked ahead, obviously at a much faster pace than she was able to move. His head was bent, his posture defeated as he moved. Hesitantly, Edward followed close behind him, probably eager to get out of this mess and back to his family.

* * *

The teleportation was rough. Riza was left gasping as they landed in the courtyard of the castle. The people let out cries of surprise as they appeared suddenly, not expecting a large group of people to appear out of nowhere, the majority of them in chains.

“What – Knight Hawkeye?” the guard at the main door asked, baffled by their sudden appearance.

“Just Hawkeye now,” she corrected him. Despite the flair of pain in her back, Riza’s tone was strong. “We require an audience with the King.”

“Um, I, uh…”

He obviously didn’t know what to do.

“We come with prisoners for him.” The restrained men shifted behind her, grumbling angrily beneath the masks Alphonse had put on them with his magic.

“Um, right this way,” he gestured inside the castle. The guard led the way. It was agony to try and keep up, but Riza forced herself to. Her breaths were gasping at various moments, but she kept them quiet. _Just get through this_ , was the constant mantra through her head.

“Your Highness,” the guard announced, entering the throne room.

With dismay, Riza noticed court was in session. She groaned internally. She didn’t need an audience for this.

“Knight Hawkeye has arrived with prisoners for you.” He obviously hadn’t gotten the memo she wasn’t welcome here as a knight anymore.

Finally, Riza brought her gaze to the King. He was frozen in his throne, eyes boring into hers. Riza met it steadily, but when gestured forward by the guard, she turned to nod at him, and walked forward to approach the dais. She could feel the King’s eyes on her, searing her skin. Whether it was in anger or not, Riza couldn’t tell. She was tired. She didn’t care anymore. Once this was done she’d disappear, unable to fail anyone else she cared about.

Once in place, she met the gaze of her old friend, feeling very out of place.

“Your Highness, I have brought you the men who orchestrated the plan for your attempted assassination.” A murmur rippled through the crowd of the court, surprised gasps accompanying the noise as well. “My partner and I tracked them to the outskirts of the neighbouring Kingdom and witnessed them discussing the plan to kill you and take the Kingdom as their own.”

“Step forward.” His tone was controlled and offered none of the warmth she’d experienced from him in the past.

Riza did so and couldn’t stop wincing at the pain in her back. The pressure alleviated as she shifted her weight, but as soon as her foot hit the floor, it returned with a vengeance. Roy’s eyes lingered on hers for longer than they should of before he spoke once more.

“What are your crimes?” the King asked the men. They were unable to speak, so Riza answered for him.

“Your Highness,” she addressed him, the title feeling heavy on her tongue. After everything that had happened, it was strange to address him in such a way. It felt… odd. Not like she didn’t deserve to do it anymore, but it was certainly different. She truly felt the weight of the title, as well as his gaze, upon her. It was formal, a tone she hadn’t used with him in years. Despite being in love with him, he was her best friend, and now she stood here before him on the opposite side of it all. She no longer belonged by his side; he’d made that much clear. It was a strange feeling, a sorrowful one, to be left on the outside of it all.

“He was part of an organisation plotting to kill you. My partner and I overhead and can confirm the plan. They’ve tried to kill me twice.”

The King’s eyes flashed and moved towards Riza’s, away from the criminals. They bored into hers, before dropping to her body, then back to the criminals. He was assessing if she was hurt.

“His group murdered an informant of mine’s family, simply because I survived the first attack.” Riza swallowed. Admitting that out loud would never be easy to stomach. Her survivor’s guilt returned with a force.

A murmur broke out through the throne room and Riza shifted, the noise unsettling her. It felt like every person in the room was judging her for that revelation.

_How dare she survive?_

_She caused that family’s death. Despicable!_

The words weren’t spoken, but Riza could feel eyes searing her skin. She kept her gaze forward, resting just above the King’s head.

“That’s all,” she forced out, feeling the weight of their judgement threatening to suffocate her. Riza stepped back, wishing she could disappear.

“Thank you for bringing this to my attention,” the King replied. He motioned irritably for the crowd to silence, and the volume of the murmur dropped almost immediately. “These are very serious crimes, and I do _not_ take the attempted murder of one of my subjects lightly.” His eyes moved to behind her, glaring at the men she’d brought in. “This will be investigated completely.” His eyes flicked back to Riza, piercing her own. Riza held his gaze steady, her back throbbing in pain. She wanted out of there. She needed out, or she’d crack. “Thank you, Hawkeye.”

He sounded so sincere that she let out a shaky breath. With a nod, she turned on her heel and left the throne room as guards descended on the prisoners.

It felt like her lower back was threatening to break in two. The pressure there was taking her breath away as soon as she was at the door, Riza dived to the left, pressing a hand against the wall to try and keep herself upright. Her head was bent as she gasped for breath. She wasn’t going to get out here. She wouldn’t be able to make it.

“Riza?”

Her eyes squeezed closed, tears threatening to spill over. Alphonse sounded so worried about her. He had been since their argument in the forest. Riza had been cold and unforgiving. It would be easier to leave him if they weren’t on friendly terms, right? It had broken her heart to do it, but his worry and concern was breaking her heart all over again. He was such a sweet boy and didn’t deserve or need to be lumped with someone as terrible as her.

“Are you okay?” It was Edward who asked her this time.

“Fine,” she choked out. She was anything but. It was all becoming too much. She needed out. No, what she needed more than anything, was something for her back.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Alphonse reassured her softly. “We’ve got you.” His hands gripped her upper arms firmly, effectively helping her stand. “Where do you want to go?”

Riza lifted her eyes to meet his. His face was full of concern that she didn’t deserve. Not after how she’d treated him recently.

Alphonse nodded at her request and a blinding white light enveloped them both. Riza felt her body relax as the wall disappeared from beside her, but Alphonse’s grip kept her upright.


	5. Chapter 5

Riza returned to the inn she’d found Mr. K in. It was far enough away from the castle that she didn’t need to think about court politics or _him_ anymore.

Apparently, even that wish didn’t come true though because the owner popped her head in with the rather nervous sounding announcement that she had a visitor.

Riza sighed, pressing her forehead onto the back of her palms.

“All right.”

She was currently lying on her stomach. The owner’s eldest daughter was training to become a healer so had looked at Riza’s back for her. Apparently, it was deeply bruised, and the woman had scolded her for not resting it immediately after it happened. She also didn’t take the announcement that she’d jumped out a window well either.

“ _Idiot_ ,” she’d snorted and Riza smirked at her tone. She was inclined to agree.

They’d spent a lot of time together as she treated Riza, and they’d become quite friendly with one another. Rebecca was her name, and she regaled Riza with her dreams of making it out of the inn and into a town to treat people properly, instead of the travellers who found themselves on the doorstep of the inn. Rebecca had shot Riza a pointed look, who’d laughed and stated that was a fair point.

“ _However_ ,” Rebecca had argued in favour of her home. “ _I wouldn’t meet so many weird and wonderful people if I moved into a boring old town_ ,” she grinned, winking at Riza.

The door opened to her temporary hospital room and Riza geared up for the upcoming conversation.

“Al, I told you to go home.”

The room was silent as the door closed. There was no immediate response either.

“It’s not Al.”

Riza’s eyes popped open, staring down at the makeshift cot that had been her bed for the past three days. A cold sweat prickled over her entire body, coating her bare back that was open to the room. Her shirt had been removed so Rebecca could work on her entire back and help heal the muscles that had also taken damage when the blow was dealt to the lower portion.

“Did they do this?” Roy whispered.

Riza didn’t dare move. She didn’t dare breathe.

She could pick up every movement he made. Roy approached, slowly walking further into the room towards her. He paused by her side, no doubt staring at the black and blue mess that was her back. She shivered, feeling his eyes on her as if he was touching her with his hands.

“Yes.”

There was a sharp intake of breath at her admittance. It was followed by an exhale, the air let out in a rush. It caressed over the skin of her back unfairly and Riza squeezed her eyes closed and grit her teeth, her whole body tensing at the sensation.

This wasn’t good.

“You shouldn’t be here,” she managed to choke out.

“It’s safe. My men scoped it out beforehand,” he reassured her. “If it wasn’t safe, you wouldn’t be here either.”

“That’s not what I meant. After all, your safety is no longer my concern.”

It slipped out. It was the truth, but she didn’t mean for it to come out like that. She had to remember she was no longer on friendly terms with him, and he was her King. That was it.

That was a lie though. Despite it all, she still fucking _cared_ when she felt like she shouldn’t.

“You’re right.” At least his tone was subdued. Dare she say it, he almost sounded sad about that fact. It must have been her imagination.

“Why didn’t you come to me for help?”

Riza scoffed. Surely, he wasn’t that delusional, right?

She pushed herself painfully up to her elbows. Grabbing the shirt Rebecca had draped across the chair next to her bedside, Riza swung her legs out of bed. To his credit, Roy quickly turned in place to give her some semblance of privacy. She hissed in pain as pressure was placed on her lower back as she sat up. Gripping onto the chair, Riza pulled herself off the cot to a standing position, letting out a sigh of relief as the pain eased from her back. Stooped over, she pulled the shirt over her head with a grunt as she stretched, and painfully made her way to a standing position.

“You don’t need to stand for me,” Roy reassured her. “Please, rest –”

“I have to stand for my King,” Riza interrupted him, unable to keep the slight mocking tone out of his title.

When he turned, his face looked pained. _He_ was the one who cast her out. Obviously, he was regretting it now, but she’d been through hell because of his stubbornness and had almost died. She didn’t feel like playing the obeying subject right now.

Riza realised she was angry at him, and rightly so.

“Why didn’t you stay?” he asked. “We could have helped with that injury.”

Willing herself to calm down, Riza shuffled over to the wall next to her, leaning the side of her body against it. If it was anyone else, she wouldn’t want to show her weakness to them, but it was _Roy_. They’d been together for so long it wasn’t even something that crossed her mind.

_He **had** been your best friend, remember. He ended it._

“I didn’t want to impose,” Riza replied.

Roy frowned at her. “You could never do that. You know that.”

“Do I?” Riza asked, her eyes sharply meeting his. “Because the last time I had a conversation with you, it didn’t end so well, and I was shunned.”

He was guilty. It was clear as day on his face, but that wasn’t enough. It wouldn’t undo the hell she’d been through for his sake. Maybe a few weeks ago, but not now.

The door to her room opened and Alphonse walked in, despite her urging for him to return home. He didn’t deserve to put up with her mess anymore, and it would be better for him if he did return to his family.

“Hey, Riza, I –” He stopped when he noticed she was no longer alone, and a disapproving look crossed his face. Riza would need to make a point to remind him that Roy was _the King_ and while Alphonse may not approve of his actions or like him one bit, it may work in his favour if he at least _pretended_ to be civil in his presence.

“What are you doing out of bed?” Alphonse asked, ignoring the monarch in the room, who’d turned to face the young man. Alphonse approached and from the look on his face, he was ready to turf her back onto the bed.

“I needed to stretch off.”

“I spoke to Rebecca. You shouldn’t be moving.”

“Al,” she sighed.

He was just looking out for her however it was smothering at a time she didn’t need it to be. She needed to deal with their guest first, _then_ she’d stay in that cot until her entire body went numb with how uncomfortable it was.

“Riza, you –”

“We have a guest,” she interrupted, making a gesture towards the King and shooting Alphonse a pointed look. As she moved her arm, her back throbbed in pain and she grimaced.

“I can see that, but you’re in pain.”

She was this close to snapping at him again. He didn’t deserve it. He hadn’t deserved her earlier anger either. She was frustrated at her life and how she’d only tried to do good in this world, but it had ended up blowing up in her face. She only wanted to help people, but she ended up hurting them instead.

“I will, I promise. This won’t take long.” A different tactic, which would hopefully work.

Alphonse eyed her critically, then nodded reluctantly.

“Okay. I’ll be back in ten minutes.” It was spoken like a warning.

With the door closing and the two old friends finding themselves in privacy once more, it was Roy who spoke first.

“He’s right, you need to rest –”

“And I said I would,” she replied, quite snippily. “I don’t need to be babied.”

“We’re not trying to baby you –”

“We?” she scoffed.

Roy frowned. “I want to help, Riza. I know healing magic too. I can ease that bruising.” He swallowed after he finished his sentence, his guilt returning to his face.

“I’ll be fine, thank you.”

“Riza.” His frustration was showing. A long sigh left him, followed by a hand placed against his hip. His other rose to his forehead to rub it, then move down to rub his face.

“I’m sorry,” he apologised. “I apologise for my actions. I… I was a complete idiot, and I realise that now.”

His remorse was clear in his eyes. They shined in the light of the room as Riza watched him warily.

“Why didn’t you come to me for help?”

“You didn’t heed my warnings about the danger. Why would I come to you for help on a mission that apparently wasn’t dangerous in the slightest?” Her irritation flared.

“Not about that,” he shook his head. “That was on me, and I’m so sorry. I meant about your injury.”

“I was under the impression you wanted nothing to do with me anymore, Your Highness."

She wasn’t sure where this harshness had come from, however it _was_ the truth. It was how she’d felt when her oldest friend and closest confidant dismissed her completely and ignored her. He’d betrayed her too.

“You’re still one of my people,” the King replied. His jaw set as he clenched his teeth. “I wouldn’t have turned you away.”

“I left because you made your feelings perfectly clear, Your Highness,” Riza replied. “I wouldn’t want to take up anymore of your precious time –”

“Riza,” the King uttered tiredly, surprising her. “Stop it. Please.” He was pleading with her.

Riza watched him for a second, noticing his posture and expression. He looked exhausted. Despite the tiredness and regret she saw on the King’s face Riza was still annoyed. He was acting as though it’d been _her_ who’d upped and left.

“I understand your question, Your Majesty, however remember, it was _you_ who cast me out, not the other way around.” Riza’s voice was hard and unforgiving. “I was only following your last order to me.” Her eyes narrowed slightly. “I also understand your frustration at my actions. However, it does baffle me at the same time. I was only trying to save your life –”

“You went behind my back,” he reminded her, a bite to his voice. He was getting angry now. Good. A shouting match might help them air out all the shit that had transpired over the past few weeks.

“To keep you _safe_ ,” Riza fired right back. “To do my _job_.”

“I asked you not to.” He rounded on her. There was fire in his eyes that was burning as he vented out what had happened between them. Riza understood the feeling of betrayal he harboured, but he was _too damn stubborn_ to realise that it had been for his own good. “I asked you to let me handle it.”

“And where would we be if you had, hm?” Riza prompted. “Because I was right. The meeting was a plot to try and kill you.”

“At least I would have been there!” he yelled. It sparked Riza’s anger further. “At least I could have fought alongside you! Instead,” he spat. “You and your mage friend interrupted my court session with you bleeding out on my floor, poisoned.” Riza watched as his nostrils flared with his anger. His breath was heavy as he let out everything. “Imagine how I must have felt when you appear out of nowhere, dying on my floor?”

“I imagine the same way I felt when you exiled me for trying to _save_ you,” she spat, not giving him an inch. “You cast me out for trying to protect you and do my job. If you won’t listen to me and you berate me for _doing my fucking job_ , then why do you need me there? Why do you care?”

“Because I love you,” he hissed. “And I didn’t want you to deal with it all by yourself.”

Riza’s heart thudded in her chest. This was… a development, her brain thought stupidly.

“But no,” Roy continued to rage, sarcasm dripping from his tone. “You _had_ to go off and do it yourself anyway.”

“To protect you, idiot!” The shock was gone, replaced by her irritation.

“And who was there to protect you?” he bit back.

Riza narrowed her eyes. “I don’t need protecting. That’s not your job.”

“No, but I want to,” he glared. “You just won’t let me.”

Riza laughed to herself in disbelief. “When you told me to “get the hell out” – your words, not mine – where was that sentiment? When you stripped me of my title because you were too fucking proud to accept help, when you kicked me out of your court because I “went behind your back” to try and save your fucking _life_ , where was that _same_ sentiment? Because I sure as shit don’t remember seeing it anywhere. Don’t pull that bullshit with me now, Roy, just because your conscious is weighing on you. Don’t use this as an attempt to try and make yourself feel better!”

He had no reply and Riza scoffed and walked back across to her cot. Her back was in agony, Rebecca’s healing spell beginning to wear off. She needed to lie down before she collapsed. As her hands hit the bed heavily, she could have sworn she heard Roy step forward, but once she caught herself and glanced over her shoulder, Roy was still. He was watching her helplessly.

“I’m done,” Riza announced quietly, turning away from him.

She’d had enough. This battle wasn’t worth it. Not anymore. It was like talking to a brick wall and there was no way through it for either of them.

Her father had always told her as a child that power sometimes went to people’s heads. It blinded them to what was really going on in the world. When in the position of a ruler, some Kings and Queens weren’t aware of the consequences their actions had on the people around them that they cared about. They had so many people to care for and worry about – a whole _kingdom_ – that they often forgot to take care of the people closest to them. Riza was so sure Roy would never be like that. When it came down to it, he was a _good King_. Riza would defend that until her dying breath, because he was. He was kind to his subjects and was always open to helping with disputes and making things right in the world. But her father was right. With his power came great responsibility, and he’d lost sight of the people closest to him.

This Roy was not the same Roy she grew up with, fell in love with.

Roy’s mouth parted open in shock. He blinked at her once, then twice.

“What?” he stuttered. His anger was gone.

“I’ve tried to protect you,” Riza continued. “I did so for years without complaint. Went through hell and back for you with no thanks. I was justified in what I did, I think. Alphonse agrees with me. It turns out my word means nothing to you anymore.” Riza hated to admit it, but it was true.

Roy straightened his spine. It was like a rod had suddenly been attached to it. He looked scared, all his anger and bravado gone.

 _Good_ , Riza thought petulantly. It was childish but she wasn’t having this argument anymore. It was wearing her thin and she had work to do and people to help. If he wasn’t willing to listen to her, then her time with him was over.

“Wait –”

“I’m done waiting, Roy,” she told him. A laugh of disbelief left her. “As I said before, you made your feelings perfectly clear when you stripped me of my title and exiled me. I’m not going to stay to be a verbal punching bag for you.” She straightened and set her shoulders, her resolve resolute. It pained her back, but it was like she was shaking off the troubles of this situation.

Maybe one day, once her job was done and things had calmed down, they might work things out, but it would be nothing like what they had. That would be what Riza grieved for the most… Roy muttering under his breath to her about his true feelings towards a particularly annoying Lord, trying to get her to laugh and break her professional mask. The two of them walking through the castle gardens as they talked through his plans and worked through his thoughts. The nights she’d spent checking up on him, only to find him exhausted and asleep at his desk in the Royal Office. She would never again place a blanket over those broad shoulders and that back, one she’d sworn she’d watch until her dying breath.

That saddened her most of all.

This was not how she envisioned this conversation going, but if this was the natural course of things, then so be it. She wouldn’t put herself second for him anymore. It was time she put herself _first_. It would be the first time in her life that she had.

“I’m done.”

He was obviously panicking, because the King’s mouth opened and closed a few times before he could even formulate a sentence.

“Where will you go?” His voice was hoarse. He almost choked on the words.

“I don’t have anywhere else to go,” she admitted, because she didn’t. It was the truth. With Alphonse they camped or stayed at inns overnight. “But I do have work to do.” She was still committed to this job and was determined to see it through.

“Riza, please, wait –”

“I’ve waited for you for years, Roy.” She silently cursed herself at how quiet her voice had become. She cringed at how it sounded, so charged with emotion that the words themselves may make her burst into tears at any moment. “I waited for you to come to your senses and realise I was only doing my job and ensuring the goddamn _King_ doesn’t die because of his own stubbornness.”

Riza glanced over her shoulder at him, hoping she didn’t look as defeated as she felt. He certainly looked like it. His eyes shined in the light, but it was too little too late.

“I always hoped the power wouldn’t go to your head.” Roy shook his head but Riza never gave him a chance to interrupt her. “It didn’t negatively, however, you were so focussed on bringing peace to the kingdom – and rightly so – that you didn’t stop to think how your actions affected those around you.”

Riza turned, away from the cot, to face him completely. She had one last thing to get off her chest. If he wanted her to wait for him then he was going to listen to what she had to say for once.

“Do you realise how much it stung to have you dismiss my concerns because you were so deadest on bringing peace with this shady kingdom? No one has even _seen_ their ruler, Roy. No one knows if they even exist. In my experience, the land is full of dark mages, bandits, and thieves. They’ve tried to kill me twice.” Roy blanched. “That’s right. _Twice_. They tried to kill Alphonse. He’s a teenager. Please enlighten me before you go, Roy, because I’m having a really hard time trying to figure out why you’re so desperate to come to peaceful terms with people like that.”

He was silent. He had no answer for her. Probably because he was so blinded by his resolve and this “project”, he hadn’t fully realised just how bad the situation was over there. Being the King, he would have no reason to travel there on a trip to see it for himself. It was too dangerous.

“So, do you believe me now, when I ask you not to pursue it? No,” she corrected herself. “I didn’t even ask you in the end. I _begged_ you not to go through with it. You dismissed me. You made me feel inferior. You cast out me, your oldest friend, when it was clear you were no longer listening to reason. I was only working in your best interests. For your own safety.”

Roy nodded. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, his voice hoarse.

Riza swallowed. “Good. Use this as a lesson with the next person you assign as your First Knight. Fucking listen to them when they tell you it’s dangerous because you’re far too fucking stubborn to determine that for yourself.”

Alphonse entered the room at that very moment and Riza had never been so relieved. He strode over and motioned for her to lie down on the bed. His expression told her there would be no arguments, but Riza was more than happy with that.

It was a painful affair, but they managed to get her lying down between the two of them. She groaned she stacked her hands atop one another and placed her forehead against them, her body finally relaxed.

“If that’s how you feel,” Roy swallowed. “I won’t bother you any further.”

Riza froze. She thought he’d have left. She didn’t realise he was still here. He was trying to keep things under control because Alphonse was there, but she heard the quiver in his voice.

Alphonse snorted through his nose beside her as he fussed, pulling her shirt up to examine her bruised back. It was almost silent but still conveyed what he thought about that promise.

“I’m truly sorry, Riza.” She heard Roy audibly swallow, even across the distance between them. “You’ll never know how much. I hurt you deeply, I realise that now. I’ll never forgive myself for that,” he whispered. “And I don’t expect you to either.”

It felt like a blanket covered the back of her body and she sighed quietly in relief as Alphonse cast a spell over her to ease her pain. Surprisingly, this was stronger than his previous one, before he’d supposedly left to return home to his family.

“I’m sorry,” Roy whispered before he stepped out of the door.

Riza remained still, her forehead pressed against the backs of her hands. The door closed and the sound of the latch catching was like a gunshot. It caused tears to build in her eyes. It was time to let it all go.

_She’d gone against his wishes, but it was for his own good. He couldn’t see that now, maybe he never would, but it would mean he would be safe. That was all that mattered right now to his First Knight._

She still cared for him. In the moment, after their argument, she hated that she did, however Riza knew that feeling would never go away.

Maybe they’d grown apart and she hadn’t realised it? Riza had to admit, she’d been caught up in her duty and loyalty to the King. Perhaps she’d been blind to it too. Now she’d been freed, her eyes had been opened and she’d seen what he’d been like all along? There was no way of knowing. What was done was done.

Riza only hoped he heeded her one last piece of advice. Because despite it all, she still loved him. She didn’t want him to die.

“Thank you, Al,” she whispered, sniffing.

“For what?” he asked, his hands pausing as he adjusted the sheet over her body.

“The spell. This is a nice one, whatever it is.”

“Riza… That wasn’t me. I haven’t cast any spell.”

The silence that blanketed them was deafening. Tears dripped down Riza’s cheeks silently. It was a time to grieve for everything she’d lost.


	6. Chapter 6

“I don’t like it,” Alphonse interrupted immediately. “No. Absolutely not.”

“Al,” Riza sighed tiredly. “It will get me on the inside.”

“No,” he barked fiercely.

“I agree with Alphonse on this one,” Mr. K – who they learned his last name was Knox – chipped in. “It’s far too risky.”

“Have you two got any better ideas?” Riza countered.

“No, but anything is better than offering yourself up to the enemy,” Alphonse retorted.

Sighing, Riza brought her fingers to her temples to try and massage her headache away. Knox stood from his chair and approached the bar, ordering another round for them. It was going to be a long night, Riza could tell.

“Al –”

“You promised me you wouldn’t leave my like my mother did,” Alphonse added. His eyes were beginning to well with tears. “You _promised_. I almost watched you die –” He choked on the word. “Die once before. Please don’t make me do it again.” The fight was gone from him. His voice was broken as he begged her to stay with him.

 _He’s still just a teenager_. He was too young to have witnessed all he had.

“Al.” Riza softened her voice. “I have to finish this.”

Knox returned and placed the three ales down on the table.

“I can’t let them get away with what they’ve done. That men we caught; they were just puppets. There’s someone else out there pulling the strings,” she stressed. “I know I promised to always be by your side, but…” She sighed helplessly.

Riza was torn. The conversation she’d shared with Roy echoed inside her head. She was heeding their advice. They’d changed their plan based on the information Knox had been able to give them and Riza was ensuring that Alphonse and herself would remain safe. She just had to get Al on board with it first.

“While I agree with Alphonse – it _is_ risky – I get it,” Knox offered in the silence that had fallen over the trio. “I want this finished too. For my family,” he added, his tone determined. His hand formed a fist on the table.

“I hate to do this to you Al…” Riza turned to face the young mage. “And if you want to walk away now, I won’t blame you for it. You should’ve walked away from this mess at the start. But…” Riza hated herself for the request, but she had to try. “We could really use your help, Alphonse.”

“What if it doesn’t turn out the way you hoped?” he asked, voice quiet. He’d broken the brief silence that had fallen over them. “What if you… die.”

“That’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make.”

“ _Why_?” His tone suggested he couldn’t understand it.

“Because it will help so many people in the long run. It will bring peace to our kingdom, Al. It will prevent what happened to your family from happening to anyone else’s.”

Al’s shoulders sagged in defeat and Riza gripped his hand in response, hoping to offer some comfort to him.

“I know it’s hard,” Riza added. “I wouldn’t ask this of you unless I had no other choice but… It’s literally just the three of us left. We’re the only ones who can put a stop to it, because we’re the only ones who know what’s going on.”

Alphonse was quiet. His eyes were on the table between them as he contemplated what she’d said. Every word of it was the truth. She used to want to stop these bastards because of her duty to the King, and because she felt like she owed him it. Now, that had all turned to ash. She was done with it all. It was time to take her life and her actions into her own hands, and for the first time in a long time, she was doing something because she simply wanted to _help_ people. There was no underlying duty or mission behind it. These people needed to be stopped so there wouldn’t be any more children who experienced what Alphonse and his brother had gone through. No families would be left in mourning like Knox had been.

“I don’t like it,” he whispered, eyes still on the table. When he lifted his head, his eyes were sad, but he nodded. “But I do understand. I…” He sighed, pressing the heels of his hands into his eyes. “I feel the same way.” Alphonse shrugged helplessly. “I want to help, but don’t want to put you at risk.”

“You _won’t_ be.” Riza gave his hand a squeeze, as if forcing her reassurance through his hand as well as through her speech. “Your spells are extremely valuable to this operation, and you’ll be masking me and protecting me. You’ll be helping. I can guarantee it.”

Alphonse eyed her, then turned his gaze to Knox, who shrugged.

“I can’t make the decision for you kid,” he stated before he took a large swig of his ale.

“All right.”

Riza smiled warmly at him. “Thank you, Al. Truly. This means so much to me.”

“Just…” He huffed. “Don’t die. Please.”

“You know I can only offer my best effort not to,” she reminded him gently. “But with a great mage like you beside me, I won’t be beaten so easily.”

* * *

“Ready?” Riza whispered.

Knox nodded to her right. Alphonse did the same, then closed his eyes in concentration. The familiar feeling of his magic washed over Riza, wrapping around her like a blanket, soothing the slight tweak she felt in her lower back as she shifted her weight. It was comforting. It was a reminder she wasn’t alone.

The spell the King had placed over her worked incredible wonders. Her bruising had gone within the day and she’d no longer had any agonising pain by the time she fell asleep that night.

She was still mad at him, but now Riza was in doubt. Damn him. Her mind’s eye kept showing her the image of his broken face as they’d talked. He was clearly guilty about it all. He apologised profusely and felt bad about how he’d acted, and rightly so. But the addition of that spell… He still cared. The man she’d fallen in love with was still in there somewhere, even if he had disappeared in recent weeks.

Riza was conflicted, but there was no time to deal with it now. This would be her final mission on this job, and after that… Well, if she wasn’t dead, she’d deal with it all then.

“Now remember…” Alphonse visibly swallowed. “This spell will paralyse you. You’ll be able to listen, but you won’t be able to move anything. It will slow your pulse right down to be almost undetectable. Underneath the mask of it all, you will breathe properly and your heart will beat as normal, but you won’t be able to open your eyes or speak.”

Alphonse swallowed again and lifted a shaking hand to her forehead. He swiped his thumb across it, creating a mirage of an open wound. Her skin there appeared to become sticky, but there was no pain and the mage assured her everything was still intact. He did it again. This time, across her stomach, creating a vision of a large stab wound across her abdomen. If she was going to play dead, she may as well look the part.

“Only you can end the effects of the spell. Whisper the incantation I told you and it will break you free.”

His jaw clenched as he finished his handiwork, examining her “wounds”.

“They look real.” And he looked like he was going to vomit.

“Al, I’ll be fine.”

His eyes shot back up to meet hers. “You’re playing dead and we’re handing you over to the enemy. _How_ will you be fine?”

“No, _I’m_ handing myself over. Once I’m in and behind enemy lines, we’ll strike. All of us, together.” She met both of her companion’s gazes. “It will only be for a moment. The traps are set. All you need to do is activate them.”

Alphonse nodded, his expression grim, then stepped out of the way so Knox could approach.

Extending his arms out, Knox stood waiting for Riza. She climbed carefully into his hold, wincing as her back tweaked again slightly.

“Let’s finish this.”

“Right,” both Knox and Alphonse agreed at the same time, the latter looking more unhappy about the situation.

Despite what the men had done to Knox’s family, he’d reached out to the mysterious ruler of this kingdom. He was still a “friend” and had brought the ruler a “prize”. Her.

They walked out into the road, beginning phase one of their plan.

“That kid has a spell for everything,” Knox muttered under his breath as they walked. “You weigh absolutely nothing.”

Riza let out a quiet breath from her nose in amusement. He was right. Alphonse was a true gem and she would never forget all he’d helped her with through this difficult time.

Knox walked for about ten minutes before finally stopping.

“Halt,” a voice called out. “State your name.”

“It’s Knox,” he shouted back. Riza detected a hint of a snarl in his tone.

“Come forward.”

With an irritated scoff, Knox obeyed.

“State your reasons for being here,” the same voice ordered.

“Your men killed my family,” Knox snarled for definite this time. His grip on Riza’s body tightened, his fingertips digging into her flesh as his anger reared its head.

Silence ensued and Riza held her breath, waiting to see if there would be retaliation, but there was none.

A different voice spoke this time. A male voice. It was smooth, almost calming and reassuring, but it still made Riza’s skin crawl.

“It’s him,” Knox breathed to her.

“That wasn’t my order,” the man spoke.

The rich voice made Riza want to shiver, but her body was frozen in place.

The spell itself made her look like a corpse, but it kept her alive. It was like a mask over her entire being, hiding a very much alive and breathing Riza behind it. She took a slow breath, easing it out as quietly as she could, but heard no sound leaving her. Riza realised she truly was hidden behind this image Alphonse had created.

“I don’t care. I brought you your prize,” Knox ground out. She was tossed to the ground as was planned, and Knox certainly wasn’t gentle. Of course, it had to be real, so Riza didn’t mind. In fact, she noticed no pain whatsoever. What she did notice, was the sudden warmth that wrapped around her body as she fell.

 _Alphonse’s magic_.

He was watching and softened her blow.

“Now, you will leave me alone.”

Silence ensued, but on the ground Riza could hear gravel crunching underneath someone’s boots as they approached. A shadow was cast over her body, blocking out the bright sunshine above and darkening her already pitch-black existence.

If she wasn’t paralysed because of Alphonse’s spell, Riza would have flinched as she felt breath on her skin. Rough fingers were placed on her cheek and she felt herself tense. Of course, to whoever this was invading her personal space, it would appear as though she was still a limp body. The fingers gently turned her head to examine her face, then they disappeared, along with the smell of sandalwood.

“You brought me the King’s First Knight,” the man above her announced. He was suddenly so much closer than Riza expected. Her scalp and forehead tingled with the awareness of him. She was ready to break the enchantment at a moment’s notice.

“That’s right. Would I lie when I told you I would?” Knox spat.

“You’ve done me a service,” the ruler purred. Riza was desperate to see his features, to finally put a face to the invisible enemy she’d been fighting for weeks. She wanted to look into the eyes of the person who’d cost her almost everything. “As promised, we will leave you alone, along with the entire kingdom.”

Riza heard more gravel crunching as Knox turned on his heel and walked away, like was planned.

“And Knox?” the ruler called casually. “I am truly sorry about your family. I did not give that order and can only apologise profusely.”

“That won’t bring them back,” Knox muttered angrily, sorrow clouding his words.

“I know. That’s why I extend the protection to the whole kingdom as well.”

Riza heard Knox scoff and walk away, only to skid to a stop.

Silence descended over the meeting and Riza was left in limbo, unable to see the cause and if she needed to break the spell.

Suddenly, her hearing disappeared. There was a muted pop, then a sudden and very apparent pressure over her ears. Not heavy or painful, but more like the earmuffs she’d once worn over her ears in the winter months as a child. Trying to sit up, she couldn’t. She was paralysed.

Heart rate picking up, Riza was at a loss of what to do. If she couldn’t hear, she didn’t know what was going on. She didn’t know the best of most effective time to break the spell. If she did it now, not only could she die, but Alphonse and Knox could too.

Arms gripped her roughly underneath her own and spun her in place. Disorientated and not paying attention because of her loss of hearing, Riza was unsure what direction she was headed. Was this the enemy, moving her body to the place where she’d expected to go? Once she stopped, she’d be able to break the spell and would awaken to signal Al to set off the traps. With the element of surprise, she’d be able to take out the ruler’s escort and hopefully take him down.

And from that conversation, he _had_ been intent on harming her and the kingdom. That was enough of a confession in order to stop him. Riza didn’t know how far the desire to hurt them ran, so didn’t need to kill them. She just needed to capture the enemy at the very least.

Her body thumped down heavily, her head hitting the ground painfully. Al hadn’t protected her that time. Fear gripped her heart. Was he okay?

She almost broke the spell, but another set of arms began to drag her again after hearing a muted _thump_ very close to her ear. This person’s movements were move hurried, hauling her body none too gently along the gravel.

Finally, she came to a stop and there was a shadow over her body again. She couldn’t feel much, just the vibration of the ground and the pressure on her ears.

There was a distant thundering sound. The ground trembled harder underneath her body and fingers. It shook and the air felt slightly different. It was charged… Like there was a lot of magical energy in the air.

Unable to take it anymore, she broke the spell –

Only to come face to face with a distraught and tearful Roy.

His hands were running down her cheeks, smoothing down her hair as he sobbed. He froze, his hand falling from brushing her fringe off her face. His hand fell limp on the grass beside her head. His expression was one of shock as he blinked down at her, disbelieving what he was seeing. The next thing Riza knew she was bundled tightly into his arms. A hand rose to the back of her head, holding it in place as he pressed his face into the crook of her neck.

Her hearing returned, and Riza heard shouts and blasts of magical energy. Looking over his shoulder, Riza saw a battle raging on where she should have been lying, “captured” by the enemy.

“You’re alive,” he whispered in relief, hugging her body tighter against his.

Relishing in the comfort he brought and momentarily forgetting their argument in the heat of the moment, Riza clutched at his back, securing him tighter against her.

“What –”

An explosion ripped through the air and Riza had to close her eyes to protect them from the light of the blast. The force of it knocked them both backwards. Instead of falling and crushing her, Roy caught himself on the grass beneath them, but used his body to shield her from anything incoming. His chest covered her face, his elbows down by her ears as he took the brunt of the blast.

He was protecting her.

_That was her job…_

Lifting up carefully, Roy spun in place to see what had happened. Riza knew she should do the same, but only one thought dominated her mind as she stared at him instead.

_He used his body to shield you from the blast._

_He was crying. He thought you were dead._

_He **cares**._

“Are…”

Roy stuttered to a stop, still disbelieving that she was all right.

Riza swallowed. “I’m all right. We’ve got work to do.”

It was true, but also an attempt to try and run away. Riza recognised that, but while a battle raged on behind them, she was justified. After all, she wouldn’t leave a job half done, nor would she allow others to fight her battles for her.

It was time to finish this.

As Riza stood and took a shaky step forward, her body adjusting to being mobile again, a hand on her wrist arrested her movements. Turning back, Roy’s eyes were boring into hers with an intensity she didn’t want to see right now.

“Are you truly all right?”

Riza nodded, gripping her sword tightly. “I promise. It was a spell Al cast. Do you know where he is.”

“Over there,” Roy nodded and Riza whipped around to search for the young mage.

He was about ten feet away, face a picture of concentration as his hands waved in expert patterns in front of him. Sparks and various elements flew from his fingers as attacks. Knox was the same, except he was lowered in a crouch, one hand placed on the ground. The ground shook beneath the enemy’s feet, shifting and alternating shape as Knox manipulated the ground they walked on. It stopped anyone from progressing any further forward.

Stepping forward to approach them, she was stopped once more by Roy’s hand. Turning back to face him, she saw the remorseful look on his face. The tracks his tears had made were a tell-tale sign he’d been upset over her “death” and was still reeling from it.

Shifting her stance, Riza shook free of his grip to grab his hand in hers, giving it a squeeze.

“I promise I’m all right,” she stressed softly. “Now, I need to help my friends and finish this once and for all.”

Roy nodded, giving her hand a squeeze in return.

“Right behind you,” he promised.

Riza wasn’t sure how Roy had ended up here at the same time they had, but she couldn’t deny that the added manpower was their saving grace. Riza hadn’t been in the fray ten minutes before the ruler surrendered as she cut down his soldiers.

He kneeled in the centre of the road between the two kingdoms.

“I surrender,” he announced, his voice carrying clearly across the makeshift battlefield.

Eyes zeroing in on the man who’d been an invisible enemy for so long. His hair was white, falling past his shoulders. A beard of the same colour framed his mouth and chin, trailing down to his chest. His armour matched the colour of his hair, although was now spattered in blood stains at various points, marring the perfection of the still glistening armour.

“Please, stop killing my men.”

Riza eased her stance but didn’t lower her sword. She nodded at the man, who looked away as soon as she agreed with his request.

Roy called for his men to round up the prisoners while Riza approached him cautiously.

“I didn’t intend for things to escalate this way, but it did.”

Riza paused as he began to talk. Readying her stance and her sword, she was silent as he continued.

“I should’ve finished the job with you though, years ago,” he muttered, almost too low for Riza to make out. It took her a second to process and realise what he’d said.

A spear of light left his fingers as the man’s face twisted in anger. Riza tensed, expecting the blow to be aimed for her, but it shot right past her, faster than her eyes could keep up with, and hit a target to her right.

Slowly, Riza’s head turned, and found the spear of light poking out of Alphonse’s stomach.

Her whole world shuddered to a halt. All sound was blocked out at she stared at the entry wound. The spear of magic was covered in blood…

_Alphonse’s blood._

“Al!”

The cry was ripped from her lips as she lunged for the young mage. He sputtered, blood spitting from his mouth as his hands gripped the spear of magic embedded inside of him. It was almost too bright too look at, but Riza didn’t care. Not now.

There was a flutter of activity behind her as well, however Riza didn’t care what the verdict was with that bastard. Not right now and not anymore. None of this was worth it if Alphonse died here today.

She was supposed to _help_ people. Riza was supposed to protect him.

 _Failure_. Once more, she’d failed the people she cared about.

His knees buckled as Knox caught him. Riza followed them both down to the ground, her knees crashing painfully down and jarring her still tender back.

“Al, talk to me,” she begged, taking his hands in hers. Knox waved his hands over the light and it blinked away in an instant, leaving a gaping hole, and blood… _So much blood_.

“Al!” she cried, letting her emotions run away with her.

Knox shifted and Roy was by her side in the blink of an eye. Alphonse looked back and forth between them both, terrified. His breathing was shallow as he panicked, blood bubbling from his lips.

“Alphonse,” Roy stepped in, his voice calm as his hands moved in a pattern over his abdomen. “I need you to listen to me, all right?” Roy stopped his movements, hovering his hand over Al’s body as his eyes closed in concentration. Riza watched, on the verge of hysteria, because her nightmare was becoming a reality. If Roy wasn’t so focussed on the casualty, he would have seen her begging him with her eyes to help Alphonse and save his life.

“I need you to remain calm, all right?” Roy commanded. His eyes were still closed as his eyes furrowed, his fingers tensing and forming a claw in the air as Al began to choke.

Riza tore her gaze away from Roy’s work, shifting so she could rest Al’s head on her lap. She never let go of his hand though. She couldn’t. Smoothing down his golden hair, she shushed him as tears fell down her cheeks. Al’s eyes were torn away from Roy’s face, meeting her own. They were begging her to make it right, but she wasn’t gifted with magic. She could do nothing but put his life in Roy’s hands. If Alphonse died, it would’ve been because of her…

_No! He won’t die!_

“Easy,” Roy soothed as Alphonse’s body jerked. His eyes opened, meeting Al’s with determination. “I won’t let you die. I know this is easier said than done, but I need you to remain as calm and as still as you can. Are you able to do that for me?”

Both adults waited for his response, but there was none.

“Al?” Riza prompted desperately, giving his hand a squeeze.

Alphonse’s head rolled and his eyes closed, his grip slacking in Riza’s hand.

“No!”

Roy burst into action. He was no longer gentle as he worked. Although it looked frantic, his movements were controlled as he cast spell after spell to try and repair whatever damage the spear had done.

Riza sobbed above Alphonse, bending her head so their foreheads met. She pressed hers against the young mage’s begging him to wake up and be all right.

“Don’t you dare, Alphonse. That’s an order,” she whispered. “You…” She hiccupped. “You can’t leave me.”

Now she knew how Alphonse felt.

It felt like she was losing a son. They’d worked so closely over the last few months and she _had_ come to care for him as if she was his parent. She hadn’t intended to, but it was inevitable…

That bright, sweet light that resided inside his soul couldn’t be put out. Not because of her.

 _You did this. You brought this on him by involving him_.

“Please be okay,” she begged, praying to everything that was in the heavens above that Alphonse would survive this.


	7. Chapter 7

Riza’s hands were clasped in front of her as she stared at nothing. They hovered just above her lips, poised as if in prayer. While her body was immobile, it was a completely different story inside her head. Her mind was whirring with every outcome. It was torturing her with images of having to bury Alphonse Elric, a boy who had become like a son to her –

Letting out a shaky breath, Riza moved for what felt like the first time in hours to try and stave off the rising panic. Her back cramped from being leant forward for so long, and her arms strained against the movements, her muscles tight.

“Hey,” Roy greeted, entering quietly through the door.

Glancing up at him, she felt the weight of her eyelids weighing down on her.

“Hello,” she replied, her throat like sandpaper.

“Any change?”

Riza shook her head, taking a deep breath as she turned her head to look at Alphonse’s pale face. He almost matched the stark white sheets of the castle hospital and it turned Riza’s stomach.

“No change,” she whispered.

“He’ll be all right,” Roy reassured her, pulling up a chair at the other side of his bed.

Glancing over at the King, Riza saw the determination on his face, but Riza couldn’t drag up the same enthusiasm. She hoped and _prayed_ Alphonse would pull through unscathed. It was all she’d chanted in her head for hours… But seeing how pale he was still… If she looked down at his stomach, she could still see that spear of magic light protruding from his abdomen. Riza swallowed thickly.

“I fixed everything inside. He’s brand new in there.” Lifting a hand, Roy held it above Al’s stomach and closed his eyes in concentration. Apparently satisfied, he opened his eyes and relaxed back into the chair.

“What did you do?” she asked.

Turning to face her, Roy explained himself. “I was using magic to determine how the blood was flowing in the area of the injury.”

“And?” It was almost choked coming out of her.

“Everything is fine. He lost a lot as I worked. His body is just trying to replenish it all before he comes back to see you.”

Riza nodded, glancing back at Alphonse’s face.

“We just have to wait for him to wake up in his own time.”

That was easier said than done. She wouldn’t be able to rest until Alphonse’s eyes were open again. Riza hadn’t slept, and the battle had happened yesterday. She hadn’t even showered. There were still dried bits of mud on her arms and tiny scratches from where the backs of her hands and wrists had been dragged along the ground. The blood there had turned brown, clotted long ago. Riza knew should wash up but couldn’t bring herself to leave his side. Just like on that battlefield, it felt like Alphonse was her own son. She couldn’t leave him.

 _This is on you_.

A deep breath inflated her lungs, but it sounded like a whimper as it passed her lips.

“This wasn’t your fault, Riza.”

She was silent because she knew otherwise.

 _All your fault_.

Roy sighed, no doubt being able to sense her train of thought. He’d always been good at that kind of thing when they were growing up.

“You had no way of knowing he’d turn like that,” Roy tried again.

“I still got him involved in all of this.” The pressure in her throat felt almost unbearable as she swallowed past it. “I enlisted his help, and this is how it ended.”

“Then you should blame me.”

Riza tore her eyes away from Alphonse’s face, her brow furrowed in confusion.

“What?”

Roy leaned forward in his chair, resting his elbows on his knees. “The reason you had to get him involved was because _I_ was an idiot and didn’t listen to you. So, if you really want to stretch to blame someone, blame me.”

Her mouth opened to retaliate automatically however she had no response for him.

“I don’t,” she whispered finally.

Deep down, she didn’t blame him. He hadn’t conversed with Alphonse, hadn’t vented his frustration to him which caused the young mage to begin pondering ideas and cook up a plan. That was on her.

“You should,” Roy pressed.

“Roy,” she sighed tiredly. She wasn’t going to argue with him.

“No, if you’re blaming yourself, then you have to blame me.”

“ _I_ spoke to Alphonse, you didn’t. _I_ got him roped into this.” She paused to swallow. “You didn’t.”

“It was still because of me though.”

Riza sighed and brought her fingers to her temples, rubbing them gently to try and ease of the headache that was beginning to form. She couldn’t deal with this right now.

She jumped as a pressure suddenly appeared on her shoulder.

“He’ll pull through,” Roy reassured her. He was so close, crouched in front of her. Eyes boring into hers as if willing her to believe him, his grip tightened on her shoulder as he gave it a squeeze.

Her emotions were everywhere. The argument with Roy and feeling so angry with him, only to have felt so tired of it all when she saw him again on that battlefield. And he’d been so distraught… He thought she was dead and had been so torn up about it. He still cared about her, and vice versa, but after everything that had happened… She didn’t know where she fit in with the world they’d shared before. All she could worry about right now was if Alphonse was going to pull through, and even that was weighing heavily on her.

Seeing the piercing look in Roy’s eye and hearing the softness of his tone, feeling the comfort of his touch… Riza felt herself beginning to crumble. Her shoulders caved in as they began to shake. Eyes squeezing closed, Riza felt herself letting go.

There was movement in front of her as Roy knelt and wrapped his arms around her shaking frame as she remained in the chair. She was enveloped in warmth and a smell that she’d missed terribly for the last few weeks. It was a comfort and reminded her of home. He made her feel safe and loved.

“I just want him to be okay,” she whispered into his chest.

“I know,” he murmured. “I want him to be as well, and he _will_ be. We just need to be patient while he balances himself out.”

“That’s not soon enough,” she muttered petulantly.

She heard a puff of air being expelled from Roy’s nose, finding her comment amusing.

“I thought the same way every time I saw you hurt and recovering in here.”

Her body tensed but if Roy noticed, he didn’t comment. He continued talking, beginning to rub circles on her back.

“I would wait in here for hours, hating myself for leaving because royal duty called me away. In those moments I wished I wasn’t the King just so I could remain by your side and watch over you.” He pressed a kiss to the top of her head and Riza squeezed her eyes closed at the familiar feeling. It was almost like old times.

But it wasn’t. Not anymore. Roy had seen to that.

“I know how you’re feeling,” he continued.

“You never mentioned anything,” Riza accused lightly.

She hadn’t been in here often. Counting back… Riza had only had three near death experiences while the King’s First Knight. He’d always visited and brought her flowers once she awoke, but she never remembered waking up with him by her side.

“It wasn’t appropriate,” Roy shrugged. “But I don’t care about any of that anymore. Not after what I did.” His tone was subdued as he finished, but the grip on her body remained. “I’m so sorry, Riza. I… I get it if you no longer want to be by my side. I just wanted to take the pressure off you, but I wasn’t very good at communicating that. I wanted us to work together, and when you brought that letter to me, I was angry.”

“Why?” That was one thing she’d been unable to figure out.

“Because I was too scared of losing you. I lost control because in my mind’s eye all I could see was you approaching the kingdom by yourself to procure this letter and that terrified me.”

“But _you_ exiled me,” Riza shot back, pulling away from him. “You shut me out anyway. How can you say you were so scared of losing me when you cast me out of your life completely? You lost me either way.”

Roy’s hands slipped from her back to rest by the side of her thighs. She was painfully aware of their proximity to her. His fingers curled around the seat of the chair, the whites of his knuckles showing.

“I was an idiot. I don’t even know what I was thinking. I panicked. As soon as you left, it hit me, how much of a bad decision I’d made. I ran out of the castle to find you, but you were nowhere to be seen. The stable hand said you’d left on your horse, so I followed… But never found you, of course.”

Riza had no idea whether he was telling the truth, but Roy wouldn’t lie. Not to her, and she imagined he wouldn’t about this either. He wore his heart on his sleeve and was much more open and in touch with his emotions than she was. Over the years he’d expressed his emotions and vented his frustrations with her daily, so she was inclined to believe him.

“If you don’t believe me,” he smiled sadly, reading her train of thought. “You can ask the guards. They saw me.”

Riza scrutinised his expression, noting the remorse she spotted there.

“When you showed up in the court, dying of poison, it killed me to see that. _I_ had caused that to you. You’d disappeared, and this was what had happened to you because of me.”

Silence ensued and Riza cast her mind back to that day in the hospital, a question niggling in the back of her mind that wanted to burst forth and finally be answered.

“When I was in the hospital, did you come and see me?”

“I did. I was unfortunately called away by duty while you were healing, but I had a feeling my presence wouldn’t be missed anyway. Alphonse was so angry with me.” He huffed a laugh, but his expression wasn’t amused. “I didn’t blame him.”

“Why didn’t you come back if you were so sorry about what you did?”

“When I returned, I heard you both talking. I didn’t want to intrude, but you sounded so happy with Alphonse. I’d ruined what we had for being such a _colossal_ moron and I didn’t want to taint your new friendship with my toxic actions. That’s why I didn’t come in. I couldn’t ruin your life anymore. Then, I came back the next day, but the bed was empty. You’d disappeared again.”

“We still had work to do.”

“You were injured,” Roy retorted.

“Still. There was work to be done, and I wasn’t leaving it to anyone else to pick up the pieces and possibly get hurt.”

Roy sighed and rolled his eyes before glancing back up at her. “That certainly sounds like you,” he stated, a fond smile forming on his face. It dropped and that sadness returned to him.

“I’m sorry I yelled at you. It was unwarranted. I was so scared and again I let that run away with me again. It festered as anger, and you didn’t deserve that.”

“I didn’t go behind your back to betray you, Roy,” Riza replied, casting them both back to the moment that had started it all. Now they were both calmer, it would be more productive to discuss this now. “I did it because I was worried about you as well as doing my job.”

“And my stubbornness ruined it all, and it hurt you.” His eyes were beginning to shine in the light, still knelt in front of her. “That’s something I can’t forgive myself for.”

Riza nodded in understanding because she felt the same way about Alphonse right now.

“So,” Roy sighed in finality, sitting back on his heels and pressing his hands into his knees. “If you’re going to blame anyone for Alphonse’s condition, blame me. I’m the one who deserves it, not you.”

Riza watched as he stood tall, wincing as his stiff legs protested at the action.

A knock on the door disturbed their peace and both heads turned towards it.

“Your Highness?” the messenger stated, looking rather nervous about interrupting them. “Your presence is required in the throne room. A Lord is here to speak with you.”

Roy nodded and thanked the man. His shoulders sagged in defeat as the door closed.

“Duty calls once more,” he smiled sadly. Riza could see on his face that he didn’t want to leave, but like he said, he had a duty to the kingdom to attend to.

“Roy?”

His shoulders tensed as Riza called to his retreating form. Turning in place, there was a question on his face.

“We’re not going anywhere,” she stated, revealing her plan to remain here for a bit longer. Regardless of when Alphonse awoke, she wouldn’t let him leave until the Healers had cleared him as healthy, which would take time. She wouldn’t sneak out the castle like she’d done previously. Her job was done, after all, and she was so weary. She didn’t want to run anymore.

Roy nodded in understanding, a small but pained smile crossing his face as his hands were shoved into his pockets while he walked away. Riza was jolted with the memory of her scolding him light-heartedly about doing that. It wasn’t very becoming of a King to walk with his hands in his pockets, she’d told him. A warmth spread across her chest at the memory, remembering the roll of his eyes and his grin, along with all the other happy times she’d had here in this castle.

Talking with Roy had eased her worries somewhat, just like it had always done. While she was his closest confidant as his First Knight, he was hers too. He’d got her through so much growing up, and Riza was forever grateful to him.

Still conflicted about how to proceed, Riza sat back in her chair and ran through their conversation. There was so much to consider, but she couldn’t dismiss the fact that Roy still felt like home to her, even after everything that had happened. While he’d felt betrayed by her, she’d felt the same when he exiled her –

Riza let that thought go for now. She had Alphonse to worry about, and it wouldn’t do for her to go around in circles inside her head trying to figure everything out. For now, she’d focus on her new charge.

Sighing, Riza felt her body relax and become lighter. Her eyes drooped for a second, which she forced open so she could watch over Alphonse and not leave him alone. However, that only lasted for so long. Within ten minutes, she was asleep by Al’s bedside, finally resting after the battle and the emotional ride she’d been on in the past few weeks.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and here we have it! the end! i hope you all enjoyed reading. i had such a blast writing this one. it just wouldn't leave me alone and became so much more than i could have ever hoped haha
> 
> thank you everyone who left a comment ily all!! they've brightened up my day during this tough time and you've all been so sweet aaah thank you!

The sun was high in the sky as Riza walked out into it, guiding Alphonse over to the edge of the balcony. He thanked her as he leant against the stone wall, sighing as the light hit his face. After being stuck in that bed all week, he obviously relished the feeling of the fresh air because his eyes closed and he took a deep breath, savouring it.

“Better?” Riza asked with a chuckle.

“Much better,” he sighed, turning to face her with a grin.

“Well, you’re almost walking by yourself now. It won’t be long until you’re cleared as being healthy.”

“It can’t come soon enough,” he muttered.

Riza chuckled again, leaning against the wall with him. She cast her eyes out over the castle gardens, appreciating the greenery and bursts of colour thanks to the flowers.

“What’s the first order of business then, after you get out of here?”

“I’m going home for a bit,” Alphonse revealed. “I miss my family.”

Riza swallowed and nodded.

 _All your fault_. The thought whispered through her head, telling her he was finally leaving her because of what she’d put him through.

“Okay,” she exhaled, forcing a smile onto her face. “Tell them I said hello. I’ll miss having you about, partner,” she joked, nudging his elbow, but even she could hear how false her cheery tone sounded.

Alphonse turned to look at her again. “I’m coming back, Riza.”

That surprised her.

“What?”

“Like you said, we’re partners.”

“Al –”

“Don’t start telling me I shouldn’t be working with you anymore,” he cut in, raising his eyebrows knowingly. “ _I_ stepped into this battlefield. I made that decision for myself and knew what I was getting myself into. You can’t stop me anyway,” he smirked, joking with her.

“You shouldn’t,” Riza muttered, casting her gaze away from him.

Alphonse sighed. “Not everything bad that happens in the world is your fault, Riza.”

He’d hit the mark, so she kept quiet.

“We can go around in circles all day with the blame game, but honestly, I’m tired enough as it is.”

“Do you want to go back inside?” Riza asked.

“Oh, God no,” he stated horrified. Riza couldn’t help but laugh at his expression. “No,” Alphonse replied, his tone sincere this time. “I’ll be fine, and I could do with the company.”

“You’re not bored of me yet?” she teased. She’d been by his side all week and he hadn’t made a complaint about that yet, but she was curious. After he awoke, Riza had worried she’d been fussing too much over Alphonse, but Roy told her she shouldn’t worry about it.

“Of course not, partner,” he grinned.

Alphonse broke the silence that had settled over them in the summer morning.

“What will you do once I’m gone?”

Riza shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ll need to find something to occupy my time.”

“Well,” Al replied, zeroing on the movement that had caught her eye too. In the distance, Roy appeared in view as he strode through the gardens. His hands were back in his pockets as he walked, eyes down with a thoughtful look on his face. “You’ve got him to keep you company in the meantime.”

Riza smiled tightly. “Maybe.”

“Have you spoken to him yet?”

Riza shook her head. “No.”

“Then what are you still doing here?” he asked, incredulous. “Go and talk to him.”

“I wanted to make sure you got some outside time. You’ve been climbing the walls for the past few days.”

“Riza, go. I’ll be fine.”

Again, she shook her head. Roy could wait for the moment. She wanted to see Alphonse walk by himself again. It was a happy moment for both, because to Riza, it meant he was almost back to himself after the battle.

“I’ll talk to him, Al, don’t worry. We’ve got plenty of time.”

He huffed, clearly unhappy with her answer. He didn’t press her on the matter though, and the two of them returned to admiring the view of the gardens. Roy had meandered his way through the greenery, and Riza found her eyes lingering on his frame for longer than it should have.

* * *

“Your Majesty,” the guard called to the King, fisting his hand over his heart and bowing forward. “Riza Hawkeye is here to see you, as you requested.”

Riza stood behind the guard, fighting years of training to do the same thing. She’d caught herself shifting her stance, but quickly dismissed the feeling. She was a commoner now and bowed in place instead. She remained bowed until the King thanked the guard and beckoned her to rise. She tried to hide her wince as the bow caused pain to flare up in her still recovering back. The King noticed and he visibly swallowed before returning his attention to hurriedly tidying the desk of his office.

Riza was very familiar with this office. When she wasn’t in the barracks training new soldiers, she’d spent it in here, advising Roy on different strategies and plans he had. They’d spent many evenings in here, with Roy lounging in the chair to her right, his legs slung over the arm of it. Riza would sit in the chair to her left, closer to the fire, because she always found herself cold in this room. Roy would use his magic to increase the intensity of the flames and she’d snuggle in deeper the blanket he’d given her for warmth, silently relishing in the fact that it smelled like him.

A high ceiling arced over her head, rich oak panels towering over her. Instead of warm and welcoming, now it was intimidating. She shifted in place, still unsure where she stood with him. Riza hadn’t spoken to him properly since that day in Alphonse’s hospital room. There had been quick greetings in passing and well wishes, but that was about it. However, she’d heard word from the Healers and nurses that he was busy processing the prisoners and investigating their plot further. She’d initially worried the King was working himself too hard for this, but then Alphonse woke up and that was all that mattered to Riza in that moment.

Plus, it wasn’t her job to worry about him anymore… No matter how many times she told herself this, the feeling wouldn’t leave. She’d loved him for years. She couldn’t not worry about him.

“Hello,” he smiled softly, glancing back up to look at her face. She noted the sorrow still present in his eyes and it made her stomach clench.

“Hello, Your Majesty.”

Roy faltered as she used his title.

“It’s Roy, Riza,” he murmured, unmoving and staring down at his desk. “It always has been.”

That may be true, but not anymore.

“I came to thank you for the hospitality you have shown Alphonse over the last week.”

Roy’s face perked up. “How is he doing?”

“He’s up and walking, Your Majesty.” She couldn’t bring herself to use his name. It was too personal and that wasn’t what Riza needed right now. She needed distance so she could concentrate and get through this conversation. “We took a trip out onto his balcony this morning and he was very thrilled about that.”

The grin that broke out over the King’s face almost made Riza’s heart stop. She was jerked roughly back to their childhood. The sight of it reminded her _so much_ of the boy she’d grown up with. Swallowing hard, Riza took a deep breath to calm herself.

“That’s excellent news! Oh, I’m so happy for him. That’s good to hear.” The King was entirely sincere, and that beautiful smile had yet to leave his face.

“Thank you,” Riza managed to force out. “I’ll pass on your well wishes to him.”

“What…” Roy faltered, and that grin slowly left him. He seemed to give himself a shake and drew himself up taller. He popped his hip and rested it against the edge of his desk, crossing his arms over his chest. “What does he plan on doing now he is mobile again?”

“He’s going home to visit his family, Your Majesty.”

Roy twitched at the use of his title, but he didn’t correct her again. She wasn’t using it to be difficult. She’d lost the right to use the King’s first name in conversation when she’d been stripped of her status.

“Will… Will you be going with him?”

Riza hadn’t thought too much about her future. She was going to escort Alphonse home to his family but after that… She had nowhere else to go. It had terrified her, but she’s dismissed it while she focussed on caring for Alphonse, otherwise the terror would have swallowed her whole.

“I will. I don’t feel comfortable with him riding home by himself.”

“Understandable,” the King nodded. His arms uncrossed and one fell to rest atop his desk, his fingers pressed into the mahogany wood. “And what about yourself?”

“Me?” Riza echoed.

“What are your future plans?” He’d tried to be casual, but Riza detected a hint of something more in there too. She wasn’t sure what, but then again, she wasn’t sure about her future plans either.

“I…” She froze, finding herself arrested by the look in the King’s eyes. He was looking at her so intently, his lips parting in anticipation of her answer. “I don’t know, Your Majesty.” There was no point in lying to him. He’d see right through her in an instant, like he’d always been able to.

The King pushed off the edge of his desk, approaching her slowly.

“In that inn, you told me you had nowhere else to go. Is that still true?” His expression looked both pained and concerned.

“It is.”

“You know you’ll always have a home here, right?”

Moisture threatened to flood her eyes. She had no answer for him. How could she?

Roy was right in front of her now. His gaze still held the same intensity she’d seen before from across the room. She was losing herself in it, wanting to fall into his arms and forgive everything, but she couldn’t.

“I still care about you, Riza,” he murmured softly. His gaze dropped in shame. “I’m so very sorry for what I did to you. I’ll never be able to forgive myself for such foolish actions, but this castle _will_ always be your home, regardless of our relationship. It’s been that way since you were a child and will continue to be so until your dying breath.” Roy sucked in a shaky breath. “As much as that statement terrifies me.”

It felt like a weight was beginning to press into her chest.

“When… When I thought you were dead on that battlefield, I realised my life was over. It hit me so hard I couldn’t breathe. I’d tried and failed to make things right, letting my idiocy get the better of me. It was all my fault you were dead.” His breath hitched and Riza’s tears made themselves known. “I knew then that my life wasn’t worth living without your presence by my side.” His eyes were shining as they lifted to meet hers.

“I… I understand if you don’t feel the same way. I completely forgive you if you no longer want anything to do with me. But… After seeing you dead…” He swallowed hard, letting out a shaky breath after stuttering over the word. “I realised all was lost. And when you came back, I promised myself I would _at least_ finally tell you straight how I was feeling.”

Riza searched his face, noting his sincerity. The tears in his eyes were confirmation enough of that. Plus, she’d known this man for over two decades. However, one thing was holding her back…

“I couldn’t forgive so easily,” she whispered. Out the corner of her eye she noticed him tense, but Roy nodded. “You preached that I betrayed you, but you did it first to me,” she added. “You disregarded my worries and fears carelessly.” Her eyes lifted to meet the King’s. “You made me feel like nothing.”

“I know,” he whispered, his voice wavering as his shoulders shook. “I’m _so_ sorry.”

“I’m going to leave with Alphonse,” she revealed. Her breath was let out in a rush.

The King nodded, a sad smile appearing on his face. “I wish you the safest of journeys. If you would like an escort, just say the word and I’ll arrange it.”

“Thank you, Roy.”

Despite herself, she reached hesitantly for his hand and gave it a squeeze.

“But I did swear an oath when I became a Knight,” she continued, taking the plunge. “I swore I would protect your life with my own.” She noticed his brow had furrowed in confusion. “Everything I’ve done recently has always been for that cause, and I plan on continuing that regardless of my position in the court.”

Riza had told Alphonse that everything she’d done was so above and beyond her and the King, and it had been. It had developed into something so much bigger than their petty squabble, and Riza dealt with it as such. However, seeing his face when the King had thought she was dead, and hearing how broken up he was about the experience now… She couldn’t get it out of her head. Despite it all, she still _cared_. That would never go away, and after years by his side, it had been ingrained into her to protect him.

“Are you saying… You would like to return to my court?”

“I’m saying I will continue to do my best to look out for you, not only as my King, but as my friend.” Anticipation blossomed over her skin as she prepared herself to continue. “I love you too, Roy. I have done for years. So, despite the pain we’d caused each other, I still care about you, and I want to help.”

This was unprecedented because his mouth opened and closed a few times, before snapping shut. In a swift movement, he gripped both her hands in his, bringing them up to chest level.

“I know I have a lot of making up to do, but I would be honoured to have you in my service once more.” His eyes shined in the candlelight once again. “After all, you’re more than qualified for looking out for this idiot,” he joked, managing to crack a smile out of Riza too. “You’re the best person for the job,” he murmured, his thumbs sweeping over her knuckles. “And this whole event proves that. You protected me from myself.

“I don’t expect forgiveness.” His eyes dropped. “I could never ask that of you after what I did.”

Riza extracted one of her hands. A fleeting look of disappointment crossed Roy’s face, but it was replaced with surprise as she pressed a hand against his cheek. His skin was rough with stubble.

“I care about you too, Roy,” she replied. “I just want you to be safe and happy.”

“Despite recent behaviour, I’ve realised that only occurs when you’re by my side,” he admitted in a whisper. His hand squeezed hers. “And I will do everything in my power to make sure you are loved and happy as well.”

“Loved?” she asked, raising an eyebrow as her hand dropped to her side in surprise. Her stomach twisted inside of her, but not painfully this time. This was a completely different feeling.

“I love you, Riza. Rules and appropriateness be damned, and if you’ll let me, I’ll show you just how much you mean to me.” Her breath caught in her throat. “I’ll never let a day go by without loving you. I’ve hid it for years, afraid you wouldn’t feel the same way, but after all I put you through, and all I saw…” He swallowed, looking pained. “But only if you’ll have me, obviously.”

Before she’d been conflicted, but after talking with Roy one final time her future was laid out in her mind’s eye, clear as day. Her path was straight ahead, all she had to do was give into it.

While Alphonse had been recovering, she’d had more than enough time to think things through. She’d talked it through with the young mage, and while his opinion of the King hadn’t been the best because of how he’d treated Riza, Alphonse had stated that it had changed.

“ _When?_ ” Riza had asked.

“ _On that battlefield._ ” His expression had shifted completely. Al had set down the fork he’d been using to eat his food, his hand gripping the utensil tightly. “ _You didn’t see his reaction to your supposed death. I… I’ve never seen anything like that before, and I don’t really want to see it again._ ” Alphonse had lifted his eyes to meet Riza’s. “ _He really does love you_ ,” he’d stressed. “ _I realised that as soon as he saw your “dead” body on the ground. His world was suddenly gone_.”

It was an intensity that made her slightly uncomfortably, but Riza couldn’t deny that was the same way she felt about him. It made her uneasy, because how could _a King_ feel that way about someone like her? An orphan at a young age, and just a knight in the King’s Guard? That didn’t happen.

But, according to Alphonse, it did.

Maybe it was time for her to grasp what she wanted from life, and not live in the shadows, one step behind happiness that was just out of her reach.

“Okay,” she breathed.

Roy’s face lit up, like the life had been returned back into his body. His grip on her hands tightened, and he leant forward, however, he quickly stopped himself short.

“I’m sorry, I…” The grip on her hands slackened. He was afraid he’d stepped over a line.

Riza pressed her hand to his cheek once more. She cupped is jaw and pulled him gently forward, pressing her lips against his.

The feeling was nothing Riza could have prepared for. It felt like every moment in her life had been leading up to this moment – her and Roy joining together. She’d been in love with him for _so long,_ but she’d had to hide it. It lay buried underneath the surface for so long that she lost sight of it. It was always there, but it had been smothered into an ember by her, desperate for it not to affect her doing her job. Now, it had burst forth into an inferno, and she felt like she was losing control of it.

As Roy’s hand rose to her neck, his fingers curling around it as he deepened the kiss Riza whimpered, her own hands lifting to his shoulders. She held on for dear life as she stumbled backwards, only for Roy to catch her as she fell, wrapping an arm around her waist tightly. She was pressed securely against his body and Riza thought how wonderful it felt. She was meant to be nowhere else than here. With him.

They broke apart, panting. Riza body thrummed with everything he’d awoken inside of her.

“I _swear_ to you,” he vowed, pressing her hand over his heart. “I will spend every day making up for what I did –”

“Roy,” she interrupted him softly. Riza appreciated the gesture of the vow very much – more than he would ever know – but he didn’t need to. “I love you,” she whispered.

“Marry me,” he murmured.

“What?” Riza stuttered. She didn’t think he was being serious, but the look on his face told her otherwise.

“Marry me, Riza Hawkeye,” he repeated. “Be my Queen.”

“Wh…”

“I’ve wanted to ask you for years, but you were happy as my First Knight and I didn’t want to take that away from you.”

“Are you just asking me to marry you to get me to forgive you?” she deadpanned. Seeing how his face dropped in horror, Riza smiled softly and pecked his lips. She felt giddy. Her arms were shaking as she still held onto his shoulders.

“I would be honoured.”

“No,” Roy shook his head. “It is _I_ who would have the honour of marrying you,” he murmured, kissing her again in his happiness.

“Just to be clear, I was always happy with you.” They’d parted after their kiss, still stood in the middle of his study, happy in each other’s arms. “Every day I spent by your side was a blessing I counted.”

“Me too. I couldn’t believe I was so lucky to have a friend and an advisor like you. I just… I didn’t want to ruin what we had, even though,” he huffed, and Riza’s expression turned into a frown when is face fell. “I ruined it anyway.”

Riza guided his head back up so his eyes met hers.

“Now, we look to the future,” she replied firmly. The future… As a _Queen_ …

She hadn’t envisioned this was how this meeting would go. Like Roy, she’d wanted to tell him her true feelings before leaving, mainly just to get it off her chest, and to let him know she didn’t hold anything against him. She didn’t want her life to be ruled with anger and hatred. Riza had been prepared to forgive and let go… Whether that meant leaving once and for all or returning to his side, she hadn’t known as she walked in that door. It all depended on what happened during their conversation. Thankfully, it was the latter.

“We can look into things properly when I return from escorting Alphonse home?”

Roy had apparently forgotten about that, but a determined smile replaced the look of disappointment on his face.

“I can’t wait,” he whispered, hovering his lips just above hers.

She couldn’t wait either. Her path was clear in her mind’s eye, and it would always be by Roy’s side. That had never changed, only her circumstances.

Now she was going to be Queen.


End file.
